Stepper Motor Research Articles

Design and Construction of Batik Drawing Machine with an Arduino-based CNC System

Technology continues to develop, especially in the world of manufacturing. Processes done manually by humans are replaced gradually by machines through automation. This paper proposes a batik drawing machine with Arduino-based computer numerical control (CNC). The intention is to reduce the production of small-sized batik products by eliminating the sketching process of the batik design on the fabric. Besides, the expertise in using canting, a pen-like tool, to apply the liquid wax on the fabric will not be required. A prototype of a batik drawing machine was designed and constructed using main components such as Arduino Mega 2560, NEMA17 HS4401 stepper motor, and RAMPS 1.4 controller board. The batik design data is to be prepared by using a graphic editor, computer-aided design (CAD), and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software. After several trials, the best setting for the canting temperature was found to be 112 °C with a drawing speed of 25 steps/mm and a 3 mm distance between the cloth and the tip of the canting. Three batik designs with different difficulty levels were tested for fabric printing. The fabrics were colored to obtain the final results. The batik products with a diameter of up to 450 mm can be finished satisfactorily

Identification System for Short-Circuit Fault Points in Concentrated Stator Windings of Motors

Motors serve as the primary power sources in a wide range of industrial fields. In recent years, their application has been expanded to electric and hybrid electric vehicles. As the performance of the motors installed in electric vehicles directly affects human life, it is critical to diagnose the condition of the windings. The objective of this article is to establish a method to identify the short-circuit fault points in concentrated stator windings based on the magnetic flux density distribution near the stator windings. Unlike with distributed windings, the coils are wound around the teeth in concentrated windings. Thus, it is expected that the accurate position specification of the short circuit can be realized if a detailed magnetic flux density distribution over the teeth is obtained with an appropriate magnetic field sensor. The problem of sensor positioning is solved with two stepper motors moving the search coil in the rotational and longitudinal directions independently at specified intervals. The excellent capability of the proposed system is verified through experiments using the stator winding employed in hybrid electric vehicles. The accuracy and sensitivity of the proposed identification system for short-circuit fault points may enable its practical application in industries, for example, shipping and periodic inspections as well as the production management of motors with concentrated stator windings.

Helical Actuator–Driven Inchworm Robot Design and Prototype

Abstract Bio-inspired robots provide solutions in many applications. Robots that can traverse and transport materials through confined areas are useful in disaster response, mining, mapping, and tunneling. The proposed robot is an inchworm-inspired robot that contracts and expands its body segments to move. It has spiky feet that are angled to only allow each foot to slide forward. It has a small frontal area compared to its length, and this allows it to travel through tight gaps or tunnels. Each segment uses two helical actuators as prismatic linkages to drive both forward movement and turning movement. These helical actuators transform the rotation of stepper motors into linear motion. Many linkage configurations were considered in designing this robot, and one without continuous singularities was selected. The robot stride consists of an extension phase and a contraction phase. In each phase, one foot is stationary, and one foot is moving. When each of the feet is in motion, the ground reaction force is assumed to be zero. The motion planning of the robot is designed so that the velocity and acceleration of each of the robot's rigid bodies are zero at the beginning and end of each movement phase. A 3D-printed prototype of the robot has been manufactured, and initial testing has shown that the foot spike design successfully allows the inchworm to shuffle forward. Testing the turning capabilities of this robot is ongoing.

Composite ADRC Speed Control Method Based on LTDRO Feedforward Compensation.

The performance of the extended state observer (ESO) in an Active Disturbance Rejection Control (ADRC) is limited by the operational load in stepper motor control, which has high real-time requirements and may cause delays. Additionally, the complexity of parameter tuning, especially in high-order systems, further limits the ESO's performance. This paper proposes a composite ADRC (LTDRO-ADRC) based on a load torque dimensionality reduction observer (LTDRO). Firstly, the LTDRO is designed to estimate abrupt load disturbances that are difficult to compensate for using the ESO. Secondly, the transfer function under the double-closed loop is deduced. Additionally, the LTDRO uses a magnetic encoder to gather the system state and calculate the load torque. It then outputs a compensating current feedforward to the current loop input. This method reduces the delay and complexity of the ESO, improving the response speed of the ADRC speed ring and the overall response of the system to load changes. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate that it significantly enhances dynamic control performance and steady-state errors. LTDRO-ADRC can stabilize the speed again within 49 ms and 17 ms, respectively, in the face of sudden load increase and sudden load removal. At the same time, in terms of steady-state error, compared with ADRC and CADRC, they have increased by 94% and 88%, respectively. In terms of zero-speed starting motors, the response speed is increased by 58% compared to a traditional ADRC.

A novel full-process test bench for deep-sea in-situ power generation systems

A novel full-process test bench was developed to replace lengthy and costly deep-water experiments. This platform can accurately simulate the dynamic characteristics of hydrokinetic turbines and can be used to evaluate their power-supply capabilities under various conditions. The hydrokinetic turbine power model was established by obtaining discrete performance data through experimentally validated computational fluid dynamics simulations and building surrogate models using the response surface methodology. This approach offers higher accuracy and broader applicability than empirical models. Moreover, a stepper motor platform based on a speed control scheme is proposed for the first time that can achieve high-precision transient simulation with a simplified control mechanism. This platform was employed to assess the power supply capacity of two hydrokinetic turbines under constant and typical deep-sea flow speeds. The ductless Archimedes screw hydrokinetic turbine was found to be more suitable for the deep water application than the high-solidity horizontal axis turbine due to its high self-start capacity and power coefficient. Furthermore, a case study was conducted on the design of a deep-sea in-situ power generation system at Luzon Undercurrent. Results suggest that a ductless Archimedes screw hydrokinetic turbine with a 1000 mm radius can comfortably cater to the energy demands of miniature AUVs.

High‐Speed Wide‐Angle Sensing and Imaging by WideBand Metasurfaces with Joint Frequency, Polarization, and Spatial Diversities

AbstractHigh‐speed wide‐angle radio detection is crucial for intelligent wireless systems, autonomous vehicles, rescue operations in urgent situations, and security in various fields. This can be achieved through diverse controls of electromagnetic waves. Currently, multidimensional manipulations of electromagnetic waves are determined by dynamic antennas like phased arrays, mechanical beam‐steering radars, and programmable metasurface imagers. However, these methods face challenges in achieving rapid responses and large data collection intervals for high‐speed sensing and imaging, due to limitations in the speedy explication of analog‐to‐digital (AD) converters, electronic switches, phase shifters, and stepped motors for radiation beam reconfigurations. To address these challenges, advanced microwave‐to‐millimeter‐wave metasurfaces are introduced, designed to offer joint frequency, polarization, and spatial diversities. The metasurface with a disordered atom permutation enables wide‐angle sensing for accurate trajectory tracking of moving objects. On the other hand, a dispersion‐engineered atom arrangement allows the metasurfaces to facilitate wide‐angle through‐wall imaging, effective in detecting objects of varied shapes and positions. The experiments reveal that these metasurfaces can reconstruct objects at 100 frames per second (fps) from a single‐shot measurement, allowing 0.3x speed playback for detailed analysis. This demonstrates their potential in high‐speed sensing and imaging. Such a breakthrough is pivotal in unveiling new modalities and expanding possibilities in real‐time radio applications, including smart transportation, all‐condition surveillance, perspective radio, and integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) systems, especially relevant to technologies of 6G and beyond.

Role of Coriolis flow measurement technology in validation of model of syringe driver performance

The development of a flow/pressure measurement system in association with Bronkhorst High-Tech B.V. incorporating a Coriolis flow transducer, provided an opportunity to observe the flow/pressure dynamics of syringe drivers. A model of flow/pressure performance of syringe drivers was established where key variable factors included the compliance of the connected system and the associated line resistance. It was identified that the flow/pressure dynamics observed with the flow measurement system incorporating the Coriolis transducer matched that of the model. In this consideration the dominant compliance contribution related to that of the syringe. The model operates by considering the notional volume change in the residual fluid volume in the syringe with inflow from stepper motor action and outflow in the interval between sequential pulses. While many of the observations in the literature of syringe driver function are qualitative, the model allows a more precise prediction of associated device performance.

Arduino Based Pickup and Drop Robot

A robotic arm is designed using Arduino to pick and place the objects via user commands. It will pick and place an object from source to destination safely. The soft catching gripper used in the arm will not apply any extra pressure on the objects. The robot is controlled using android based smartphones through Bluetooth. Based on the commands given by the user the robot moves accordingly. At the receiver end there are four motors interfaced with the micro controller. Two for the vehicle movement and the remaining two are for arm and gripper movement. Blue control application is used for the controlling of robot Keywords: Six Axis, Bluetooth Module, Micro-controller, Stepper Motor.

Multisensor Magnetic Scanning Microscope for Remanent Magnetic Field Measurements.

Magnetic Scanning Microscopy (MSM) emerged with the aim of allowing the visualization of magnetic fields of a sample or material through scanning and proved particularly useful for geology, biomedicine, characterization of magnetic materials, and in the steel industry. In this regard, the reading system of an MSM was modified using a μ-metal magnetic shielding structure to analyze remanent fields. The MSM was adapted to perform readings using two different types of sensors. The sensitive area of the sensors was evaluated, and the HQ-0811 (AKM-Asahi KaseiTM Microdevices) and STJ-010 (Micro MagneticsTM) sensors were chosen, with the HQ-0811 standardized on Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) to facilitate handling and increase the system's robustness. In the shielded chamber, two piezoelectric ANC-150 stepper motors (Attocube Systems) were used, arranged planarly, to allow the movement of the analyzed samples under the mounted sensors. To acquire data from the sensors, the Precision Current Source Model 6220 and the Nanovoltmeter Model 2182A (both from Keithley) were used, along with Keithley's Delta-Mode integrated system. To analyze the system's effectiveness, three distinct samples were analyzed for calibration, and a MATLAB program was written to analyze the images and extract the material's magnetization. Additionally, a rock sample from the Parnaíba Basin was mapped to demonstrate the system's capabilities.

Investigation of torque and sensitivity analysis of a two-phase hybrid stepper motor

Abstract Stepper motors are extensively used in various automated systems, notably hybrid stepper motors (HSMs), renowned for their high torque density. Optimizing and improving their performance and torque density is highly beneficial. The first step in motor optimization is to perform a sensitivity analysis to identify the parameters most significantly affecting motor performance and torque density. Using Ansys Maxwell, a finite element method (FEM) software, we modeled and analyzed a commercially available HSM. After validating the computer model’s accuracy, we investigated the motor’s sensitivity to various parameters and discussed their effects on performance. Our findings highlight the significance of parameters such as air gap, magnet diameter, wire-turn numbers in the coils, and the shapes of the rotor and stator teeth in influencing HSM sensitivity—conversely, factors like magnet height and stator pole thickness exhibit negligible impact on motor performance.

Plasmonic wave assessment via optomechatronics system for biosensor application

Transduction biosensor (mass-based, optical and electrochemical) involves analysis, recognition and amplification in the acquired sample. In this work, the plasmonic-based biosensor was employed without using tags. It is crucial to determine angles of Brewster (Ɵb) and critical (Ɵc) for generating plasmonic resonance (Ɵr). The objective is to verify a cost-effective plasmonic biosensor through Fresnel simulation and experimentation of a developed optomechatronics system. The borosilicate glass, Au and Air layers were simulated with the Winspall 3.02 simulator. The optomechatronics system consists of: 1-optics (650 nm laser, slit, polarizer, photodiode), 2-mechanical (bipolar stepper motors, gears, stages) and 3-electronics (PIC18F4550, liquid crystal display (LCD) and drivers). Later, the software performs angular interrogation by reading the reflected beam from a rotating prism at 0.1125. Experimentation to simulation accuracy indicates that percentage differences for Ɵr and Ɵc are 1% and 0.2%, respectively. In conclusion, excellence verification was successfully achieved between experimentation and simulation. It proved that the low-cost optomechatronics system is capable and reliable to be deployed for the biosensor application.

BOTTLE FILLING MACHINE USING ALLEN BRADLEY PLC AND PROFACE HMI


 
 
 
 The objective for this scientific paper is to build and design a bottle filling machine by using Allen Bradley PLC with Pro-face HMI. In this research, PLC Programmable Logic Controller with HMI is used to introduce a cup filling machine.
 
 
 
 
 (PLC) based controller in automation industry. The primary concept for the study is to design and fabricate a filling system by utilizing PLC. The cup is moved via a belt conveyor by using DC Stepper Motor. When the cup reaches the sensor, it will stop and the sensor will give instructions to the valve that controls the flow of the water. The position of the bottle is identified through the use of laser sensors so that the pump can operate when it is needed. The PLC used in this framework could be the Micrologic 1400 which makes the framework more adaptable and simpler to operate. When the bottle is beneath the tank, the pump starts, filling it with water. This filling device is inexpensive and can be utilized in bottle filling systems for small businesses like tea shops, milk industries, and any other liquid manufactures.

A new underwater in-situ microplastics detection system based on micro-Raman spectroscopy: Development and sea trials

In-situ underwater observation for marine microplastics (MPs) study has long been desired but challenged by the difficulty in achieving continuous MPs enrichment and MPs analysis in underwater environments. Herein, a novel underwater system for in-situ detection of MPs was introduced. An innovative design with a filter mesh flipped 180° driven by a stepper motor was adopted to ensure the self-cleaning of the filter mesh and continuous MPs enrichment, reducing the frequency of manual maintenance required for the system. A special-designed optical detection chamber based on micro-Raman spectroscopy featured a 13 × 10 mm imaging field of view and a 50 µm imaging resolution was developed to gather morphology and composition information of MPs. During sea trials, the system successfully detected polypropylene (PP) microplastic and other suspended substances in seawater including microalgae, organic substances, and sands. This study lays the groundwork for future research into underwater in-situ investigation of marine MPs pollution.

High-resolution X-Ray imaging of small animal samples based on Commercial-Off-The-Shelf CMOS image sensors.

An automated system for acquiring microscopic-resolution radiographic images of biological samples was developed. Mass-produced, low-cost, and easily automated components were used, such as Commercial-Off-The-Self CMOS image sensors (CIS), stepper motors, and control boards based on Arduino and RaspberryPi. System configuration, imaging protocols, and Image processing (filtering and stitching) were defined to obtain high-resolution images and for successful computational image reconstruction. Radiographic images were obtained for animal samples including the widely used animal models zebrafish (Danio rerio) and the fruit-fly (Drosophila melanogaster), as well as other small animal samples. The use of phosphotungstic acid (PTA) as a contrast agent was also studied. Radiographic images with resolutions of up to (7±0.6)μm were obtained, making this system comparable to commercial ones. This work constitutes a starting point for the development of more complex systems such as X-ray attenuation micro-tomography systems based on low-cost off-the-shelf technology. It will also bring the possibility to expand the studies that can be carried out with small animal models at many institutions (mostly those working on tight budgets), particularly those on the effects of ionizing radiation and absorption of heavy metal contaminants in animal tissues.

Control of Self-Winding Microrobot Using an Electromagnetic Drive System: Integration of Movable Electromagnetic Coil and Permanent Magnet.

Achieving precise control over the motion position and attitude direction of magnetic microrobots remains a challenging task in the realm of microrobotics. To address this challenge, our research team has successfully implemented synchronized control of a microrobot's motion position and attitude direction through the integration of electromagnetic coils and permanent magnets. The whole drive system consists of two components. Firstly, a stepper motor propels the delta structure, altering the position of the end-mounted permanent magnet to induce microrobot movement. Secondly, a programmable DC power supply regulates the current strength in the electromagnetic coil, thereby manipulating the magnetic field direction at the end and influencing the permanent magnet's attitude, guiding the microrobot in attitude adjustments. The microrobot used for performance testing in this study was fabricated by blending E-dent400 photosensitive resin and NdFeB particles, employing a Single-Layer 4D Printing System Using Focused Light. To address the microrobot drive system's capabilities, experiments were conducted in a two-dimensional and three-dimensional track, simulating the morphology of human liver veins. The microrobot exhibited an average speed of 1.3 mm/s (movement error ± 0.5 mm). Experimental results validated the drive system's ability to achieve more precise control over the microrobot's movement position and attitude rotation. The outcomes of this study offer valuable insights for future electromagnetic drive designs and the application of microrobots in the medical field.

AutoML-driven diagnostics of the feeder motor in fused filament fabrication machines from direct current signals

AbstractPart defects in additive manufacturing are more frequent compared to machining or molding. Failures can go unnoticed for hours, wasting resources and extending process cycle times. This paper describes a Machine Learning based method for automated sensing of onset failure in additive manufacturing machinery. Investigations are conducted on a Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) 3D printer, and the same methods are then applied to a digital light processing 3D printer. The investigation focuses on signal-based analysis, specifically passive sensing of stepper motors relating DC current measurements to the torque on a stepper, as opposed to any active acoustic interrogation of the part. Passive methods are used to characterize the loading on a feeder stepper in an FFF machine, forming a model that can identify early signs of filament-based failure with 85.65% 10-fold cross-validation accuracy. Efforts show filament breakage can be detected minutes before material runout would cause a defect, allowing ample time to pause, correct, or control the print. The machine learning pipeline was not naively conceived but optimized through automated machine learning.

Bond-Graph model based stepper motor output characteristics simulation implemented in LabVIEW environment

In the industry, simulations are of great importance. They enable measurements to be made in different conditions about a virtual device, which are highly comparable to measurements made in a real life scenarios. Because of their wide range of usage in lower power drive systems, where precision and simplicity is a must, the subject of study is a permanent magnet stepper motor. For precise positioning purposes, it is essential to know the positioning behaviour of these devices. The model construction process involved an intermediate step, which consisted of creating the Bond-Graph of the motor based on pre-defined models available in the literature in this field. In the next step, the Bond-Graph model was converted to a block diagram of the motor. This permitted the direct implementation of the motor model in LabVIEW visual programming environment. The preliminary steps allows us to check and confirm the functionality and correctness of the model. This article covers in detail the model conversion and implementation steps of the simulation. At the end, the functionality of the simulation was tested.

Development of a Dynamic Hitch Lift Controller using a Hybrid Control Strategy in A Heavy Combination Vehicle

This study presents a novel hybrid control strategy for the active hitch system, named the Dynamic Hitch Lift (DHIL), comprising a hybrid controller and a force actuator. The controller was designed to mitigate longitudinal load transfer in heavy combination vehicles by reducing the semitrailer pitch rate and rejecting the pitch moment, assisted by the virtual Skyhook moment. The new controller can calculate the desired force of the DHIL actuator to counter incoming load transfer during harsh braking exceeding 0.5 g braking deceleration. The proposed controller was assessed using a verified 12-degrees-of-freedom tractor-semitrailer model in harsh braking tests across different vehicle configurations. The first evaluation involved a stability test to demonstrate the stability of the controller in reducing load transfer across different vehicle configurations. The second evaluation was on controller performance, which revealed that the dynamic vehicle response has efficiently reduced load transfer by up to 9.14%. The third evaluation has focused on the DHIL actuator performance, which indicated that the actuator generated a force of 159,197 N, which translated into a stepper motor torque of 1,695 Nm at a speed of 1,000 rpm. Simulation results affirmed that the proposed DHIL controller was stable and could effectively reduce longitudinal load transfer in heavy combination vehicles during harsh braking.

High-pressure fluorescence measurements using a diamond anvil cell (DAC)

A fluorescence detection system for high-pressure experiments was developed. The system pressurizes a diamond anvil cell (DAC) with a stepper motor and acquires impression images and external pressure measurements. Fluorescence images and spectra of the sample are collected by a separate module in the instrument. During experiments, the DAC does not need to be continuously removed and placed back in the instrument for further pressurizing or sample detection. All operations are performed under software control so that pressure inaccuracies caused by manual operations are mitigated. By automatic operation, the detection time at each pressure can be reduced to less than 1 min, which greatly reduces the time required. This instrument can replace several commonly used commercial instruments and is more convenient for high-pressure studies. It will become a powerful tool for in situ examination of samples under high pressure.

Electronic Sunflower Design

Solar energy is known as the most primitive source of energy; it's clean, renewable, abundant, and widely distributed, offering a very broad prospect for utilization. However, the low efficiency of solar energy utilization has always been affecting and hindering the popularization of solar energy technology. The design of a solar tracking system offers a new approach to solving this problem, thereby greatly improving the efficiency of solar energy utilization. This design employs a photoelectric tracking method, using a stepper motor driven by photoelectric sensors, which generate feedback signals to a microprocessor based on the intensity of incident light. The microprocessor runs the program and controls the tracking mechanism to adjust the angle of the solar panels to track the sun. A single-chip microcontroller-implemented solar tracking system can effectively improve the photoelectric conversion efficiency of solar panels and has a broad application prospect.