Let us help teach you how to select a company for your stepper motor repair.
What is a Stepper Motor?
A stepper motor is an electromechanical device that achieves mechanical movements from conversion of electrical pulses. Rather than continuously applied voltage it is driven by digital pulses. In contrast to the conventional electric motors which rotate continuously, stepper motors rotate in small steps with fixed angular increments. Further, unlike the servo motors which require feedback to maintain control of position, stepper motors follow digital instructions.
Applications of Stepper Motors
A stepper motor is used in many applications for position control. Although in situations where very high accuracy is desired servo motors are used in place of stepper motors. Still they have wide applications that include printers, disk drives, clocks and watches, factory automation and machinery.
How to choose a repair company
A stepper motor involves a number of parts that include shaft, rotor and stator laminations, magnets, bearings, copper wires and lead wires, washers, and front and end covers. These make it a very complex device and needs specialists and state-of-the-art equipments to repair them.
The first thing is to look for the company which has relevant experience in stepper motor repair services over a long time. Also, the training and experience of the specialists who involve in the repair services is essential.
Steps for a stepper motor repair
- Dynamic testing of the stepper motor to determine faults
- Checking of alignment
- Cleaning and inspection of all the parts of the motor
- Washing, baking and testing of the motor windings
- Surge testing of the stators at high voltage to ensure its windings and insulations withstand full load
- Needed repair
- Re-assemble of the stepper motor using new seals, gaskets and hardware
- Painting of the stepper motor and return it like a new condition
What to ask when looking for a company to help you repair your stepper motor
- The first thing asks for the company if their service include all the above mentioned steps. A proper repair company will always provide all these basic steps, in fact, they will provide more than that.
- The next thing is to ask for what are the equipment they use to repair a stepper motor. Make sure all the equipment are state-of-the art. Especially, it must be checked that dynamic testing and the surge testing machines are from a well reputed company.
- Besides this, you must also ensure that all the repair works and the diagnostics are performed in a controlled environment with a maintained positive pressure inside. This will get rid of different dust and other particles to affect the hardware of the stepper motor.
- Finally, it is recommended that do not compromise with the quality of service as the stepper motors are used for some of the most valuable applications in your company. You may save some bucks by finding out a cheap repair company, however, in the long run, you may lose your profit due to lack of accuracy created by the faulty stepper motor.
Therefore, look for a company that provides all the services mentioned here.