A d d i t i v e
T e c h n o l o g y
The right motor
makes a big difference in additive machine performance To meet manufacturing needs
for better accuracy and speed, additive manufacturing vendors are installing servo motors to better control their equipment motion.
W
Matt Hardenbergh • Regional Motion Engineer • Yaskawa America
When desktop 3D printers and mid-size additive manufacturing systems were used primarily for
prototyping parts, the common motor that delivered motion was a stepper motor. Brushless dc electric stepper motors have been the industry standard for 3D printing motion control. These motors divide a full rotation of the motor into equal steps. But stepper motors do not use any position feedback and have a typical acceleration of 0.25 Gs, which makes them less than optimal for most industrial applications. In the early days of the 3D printing industry, despite these drawbacks, they offered vendors key advantages: low cost, with acceleration
and accuracy that was acceptable to most users. Now, however, vendors of 3D printing/additive manufacturing technology are attempting to find a place in manufacturing for their machines. And they are finding that the needs and requirements of this industry are different than those from users in the early days.
64 March 2019 www.makepartsfast.com
Yaskawa MPF 3-19_Vs2.LL.indd 64
DESIGN WORLD
3/4/19 10:05 AM