VANDALIA, OH – Johnson Electric introduces the Saia® ULE Series Linear Stepper Motors.  Available in unipolar or bipolar configurations, these motors provide constant positioning force to 400 N over full travel lengths to 300 mm in ambient temperatures ranging from -15 to +60°C.  Their compact 55 x 55 mm design envelope and NEMA 23 mounting flange enables the ULE series to be mounted in space-restricted applications with great flexibility.

The small size and advanced performance of the ULE series stepper motors make them well suited for use in applications such as valve control, positioning and adjustment systems, and control systems for the automation industry.  The design flexibility easily accommodates customized design requirements.

Johnson Electric, 801 Scholz Drive, PO Box 427, Vandalia, OH 45377-0427; 937.454.2345; fax: 937.898.8624; www.saia-motor-usa.com.

Introducing a unique PCB that enables a design engineer to test, modify, and optimize a driver for their application economically and within a short time frame by experimenting with a library of circuits and drive modes.

The Evaluation Kit for stepper motors is a universal development and test tool allowing fast prototype development, as well as flexible application support.

Download Now

Continuous duty applications demand robust and reliable components.  Battery powered instruments and devices require energy efficient, and often low noise, operation.  Saia® UCB Rotary Stepper Motors from Johnson Electric deliver on all accounts.

UCB Rotary Stepper Motors deliver 30,000 hours of continuous use, with 3, 6, 12 or 24vversions ideal for battery powered applications, and that deliver quieter operation than comparable PMDC-type motors.  These rotary stepper motors can be driven by a wide frequency range, from as low as 10 Hz up to 550 Hz, to effectively handle a wide range of application needs.  UCB steppers can even be stalled without any damage to the rotor assembly, and what’s more, they will never overheat or burn up.

UCB Rotary Stepper Motors feature a compact 28mm x 24mm footprint, provide 1.3 – 2.3 cNm holding torque and are available with bipolar or unipolar winding configurations.  They can be mounted in any position, and can be combined with a Saia gearbox to maximize output torque and reduce motor RPM.

When it comes to accurately controlling gas or fluid flow, linear stepper motors can deliver big benefits in a more compact footprint than other actuation systems.  Controlling gas or fluid flow with closed loop systems requires the use of costly feedback devices that, in addition to adding expense, also add to the overall footprint of the motor, and hence the device or machine.  Alternately, linear steppers operate open-loop (meaning that the motor requires no positional feedback information to work) to modulate the flow of gas or fluid as the motor steps through its travel, and maintain motor position even when power is lost or turned off.

In modulating, mixing or positioning applications that require controlled movements, OEMs increasingly understand that linear stepper motors provide all the accuracy and control they need, while eliminating the costly and often bulky feedback devices of closed loop servo systems.  What’s more, linear steppers deliver constant force over the entire stroke length.  The benefit to the OEM is that, when high starting forces are necessary, they can use smaller motors to replace larger solenoids to get better overall performance in a smaller footprint.

Available in three sizes with unipolar or bipolar configurations, Saia® linear stepper motors boast precision to 0.021mm travel per step over stroke lengths up to 150mm with force up to 80N.  As a result, they are an ideal motion control solution in applications such as:

Gas control – Saia UAL linear stepper motors can be designed in series with a valve to provide accurate and cost effective on/off valve functionality.

HVAC Valve – Saia linear stepper motors are used in all types of valve designs that require natural gas modulation; these designs provide high precision, low hysteresis, and custom output characteristics that deliver the desired process control.

HVAC Damper/Louver – Damper/louver controls use Saia UAL Ø20mm linear motors to provide accurate position control, as well as to control the on/off valve for gas or air flow.

Blending – Saia UCE Ø28mm linear stepper motors feature a long shaft to drop the blending blade into the mixture at the optimum depth for mixing.

Industrial Packing Equipment – Saia UCE Ø28mm linear stepper motors are used to inject just the right amount of foam into plastic cells for safe product shipment.

Medical, Chemical or Food Industry instrumentation – Dosing applications use Saia UAL, UBL, UCE or UCL motors to correctly dispense a substance into a mixture or into a compound being analyzed with chemical reagents.

Locking – Saia linear stepper motors are used in small positioning and adjustment systems, as well as locking/handling systems.

Fluid Controls – Saia linear stepper motors are used to accurately mix fluids, or provide proportional or simple open-close valve functions. These operations are particularly applicable in medical systems, beverage dispensers, coffee machines and heating controls.

The new Saia® Motor EGD 402 Gas Tight Motors and EGD 421 Fail Safe Gas Tight Motors from Johnson Electric are specifically engineered for use with all types of heating gases.  They boast a number of innovative design features that deliver superior and more robust performance, and simplified integration, when compared with motors traditionally used in direct or indirect fire/HVAC equipment, commercial or residential furnaces, and gas valve applications.

“Motors that are traditionally used in gas-related applications have external sealing components and moving o-rings to isolate the stator from the gas environment.  But EGD Series stepper motors accomplish this via internal static sealing components that ultimately result in longer motor life because there are no moving parts that tend to wear out over time,” says Jason Cooper, Engineer at Johnson Electric.  “And unlike competitive motors whose shafts rotate as they move in and out, The EGD Series features an innovative internal anti-rotational spindle nut system to provide true direct linear movement, which can reduce valve complexity and elements.”

Because EGD motors use static sealing, direct linear movement and long-life gas-compatible lubricant, plus Class B insulation and a stainless steel tube between the stator and the rotor to isolate the motor’s winding from the gas environment, “robust” and “reliable” are far more than buzz words. In fact, EGD motors can achieve a minimum of 1 million cycles at operating frequencies of 25 to 200 Hz, in even the harshest environments (-40 to 80 degrees C).  Additionally, EGD motors deliver 10mm travel @ 0.021mm step resolution, and feature low noise with either a unipolar or bipolar coil configuration.

“In addition to the robust performance attributes, what makes EGD Series motors an even more attractive solution in gas-related applications is that they are a virtual snap to design into a machine or appliance.  The design engineer just mates their valve body to the motor’s mounting surface and aligns the shaft to the valve cone, and a simple gasket between the valve manifold and motor mount is all that’s required to complete a gas tight valve,” says Cooper.

EGD 402 Gas Tight motors are used for low power, battery or “green” applications, and will maintain position after power is removed.  The EGD 402 can generate >5N of force throughout the 10mm of stroke and is capable of running at temperatures as low as –40º Celsius.

EGD 421 Fail Safe Gas Tight motors are designed for applications where the gas flow must terminate if a failure or loss of power occurs.  The EGD 421 generates 5N of force throughout its 10mm stroke while delivering reliable operation in temperatures as low as –15º Celsius. Should a failure occur or power be interrupted, fail-safe operation is accomplished with a specialized spring that, without power, moves the shaft back to its de-energized ‘home’ position in ? 1 second.

EGD Series motors are certified according to Gas Appliances Directive 90/396/EEC to perform fail safe gas flow modulation and closing functions.  They can be utilized with any appliance that requires 1^st, 2^nd or 3^rd family of gasses. One potential application is for high end or professional stoves/burners, where the motor’s high resolution (21µm per step) and valve modulation provides a highly controlled and even flame desirable for any chef.