Stepper Motor : Working, Cosntruction, Types, Advantages and

Disadvantages
This is a brushless electromechanical device which is used to convert the series of electric
pulses applied at their excitation winding into precisely defined step by step the mechanical shaft
rotation. In others words, the stepper motor is an electromechanical device which converts
electrical power into mechanical power.

In a stepper motor, number of input as pulses given to the motor decides the steps angle and
hence the position of the shaft is controlled by controlling the number of pulses. These unique
features that is different from the servo motor make the stepper motor to be well suitable for
open loop control system

Working principle

Stepper motor works on the principle of electromagnetism. The magnetic rotor shaft is
surrounded by the electromagnetism stators. Whenever the stators have energized the rotor, it
moves to align itself along with the stator. Due to the very good control of the speed, rotation,
direction and angular position, these are of particular interest in industrial process control
system, CNC machine, robotics, manufacturing automation system and instrumentation..
Construction:
Stepper motor is made up of the stator and rotor. The rotor is the movable part which has no
winding, brushes and a commutator. The stator is made up of multipole and multiphase winding,
usually of three or four phases winding wound for a required number of poles decided by desired
angular displacement per input pulses.
Types of stepper motor:
 Variable reluctance stepper motor.

 Permanent magnet stepper motor.

 Hybrid stepper motor.

1. Variable reluctance stepper motor:

Variable reluctance stepper motor has the simple design with soft iron, non-magnetic toothed
rotor and wound electromagnetic stators. No attraction between the rotor and stator winding
when the winding being energized since the rotor is not magnetised. When an opposite pair of
winding has current switched to them, a magnetic field is produced with lines of force which pass
from the stator poles through the nearest set of poles on the rotor. It gives the steps angle of 7.5
or 15 degrees.

2. Permanent magnet stepper motor:

Permanent magnet stepper motor has a permanent magnet rotor that is axially magnetised. It
means that it has alternating north and south poles parallel to the rotor shaft. Each pole is wound
with a field winding, the coils on opposite pair of poles in series. Current is supplied from D.C
source to the winding through switches. The rotor is a permanent magnet and thus when a pair of
the stator poles has a current switched to it the rotor will move to line up with it. steps angle of
this motor are 1.8, 7.5,15,30,34 and 90 degrees.
3. Hybrid stepper motor:
The hybrid stepper motor is the combination of both permanent and variable reluctance motor. It
has a permanent magnet, toothed rotor made up two sections or cup, which are opposite in
polarity and whose teeth are offset to each other. The rotor set itself in the minimum reluctance
position in response to a pair of stator coil energised .Step angle of this motor are 0.9, or 1.8
degrees.

Advantages:
 The rotation angle is proportional to the input pulses.

 Full torque at standstill.

 Very low-speed synchronous rotation is possible to achieve.

 There are no brushes so it is reliable.

 Speed is directly proportional to the frequency of the input as pulses; hence a wide range
of rotational speed can be realized.

 Low speed with high precision.

Disadvantages:
 No feedback system.

 Low effitiency.

 May produce more noise.

 Difficult to operate at very high speed.

 For the smooth move, micro stepping is required.

Applications

 Factory automation.

 Packaging.

 Material handling.

 Aerospace industry especially in avionics.

 3D pictures acquisition system.

 Laser measurements.

 Robotics.