Stepping motors have the following features that are significantly different from AC induction motors and servo motors.
・It rotates stepwise in synchronization with the input pulse.
・High-precision positioning is possible with an open loop.
・Excellent start/stop responsiveness.
・Angular error at stop is not accumulated.
・High torque can be obtained at low speed.
・Maintenance is easy due to the simple structure of the motor.
A driver unit is required to operate a stepping motor, and high-precision positioning can be performed with a simple open loop that simply outputs pulses to this driver unit.
Reference:
The initial setting of the I/O signal when the stepping motor is selected in the initial setting utility of API-SMC(98/PC) is as follows.
OUT1: Holdoff / OUT2: General purpose / OUT3: General purpose
IN1: Alarm / IN2: General purpose / IN3: General purpose / IN4: General purpose