A Novice's Guide to Servo Motor Applications

By Swindon Link - 14 February 2023

Expert Voices

The world of engineering and technology has seen tectonic shifts in the last few decades. Today, we can leverage technology to work — and play — with greater efficiency than ever before. However, some technologies weather the tests of time and technology and remain vital mainstays while others become obsolete. The servo motor is one such piece of engineering.

Servo motors are used in a wide range of equipment and devices, from what is used by millions of average people on a daily basis to large industrial applications. Servo motors, in many ways, are a timeless bit of engineering that continues to have a wide and versatile range of applications.

What Are Servo Motors?

Servo motors, sometimes simply referred to as servos, are essentially designed to rotate and precisely move parts of a machine. They are electronic devices, and often make use of rotary and linear actuators to lend precision to the operations of electronic devices. They are, consequently, extremely effective at reaching and maintaining specific velocities and rates of acceleration.

Servo motors are compact and often quite small. However, they are also incredibly energy efficient, and are widely used in manufacturing companies in the industrial sector. If you need precise control in moving and rotating objects in specific angles or areas, servo motors are the best choice to accomplish the task with.

Types Of Servo Motors

Servo motors come in two primary types: alternating current or AC servo motors and direct current or DC servo motors.

1)    The AC Servo Motor

The alternating current or AC servo motor is one of the most widely used kinds of servo motors today. The latest in the technology, AC servo motors are built around an encoder and make use of controllers. The controllers in AC servo motors provide the user feedback and offer great control on the motor’s use.

AC servo motors are well known primarily for how accurate they are and the large amounts of control they offer to the user operating it.

2)    The DC Servo Motor

The direct current or DC servo motor, on the other hand, makes use of older technology in its operations. While they were once very widespread, they have largely been replaced by AC servo motors because they offer increased reliability, efficiency, and are more technologically advanced.

 

Where Are Servo Motors Used?

Servo motors are used in all kinds of everyday electronic devices. The list is a long one, but some examples include:

    DVD and Blu-ray players, which use servo motors in their disk trays.

    Automobile servo motors used in newer cars are excellent for controlling its speed and interfacing the driver’s steering with the car’s engine and computers.

    Aircrafts, where servo motors are used for a number of mechanics in the engineering of the plane.

    Toys such as remote controlled cars and airplanes make use of small servo motors in their controls.

    Servo motors are widely used in industrial enterprises such as robotics, pharmaceuticals, food, and line manufacturing.

    Electrical machinery like lifts and rudders also make use of servo motors.

 

The Advantages Of Servo Motors

Servo motors boast a number of advantages in their applications. For instance, they are extremely reliable in terms of their operating frequency and pace. This means when a heavy load is to be worked with, the servo motor will automatically draw more power to apply consistent force in its operations.

The exceptional precision of servo motors makes it an excellent choice for high speed operations, especially those that require precision.

Increase Productivity with Servo Motors

Servo motors are complex pieces of engineering. Broadly speaking, all servo motors make use of a number of components to offer increased control and precision in the servo motor’s operations. While the technology used in servo motors has been around for a long time, there is no denying the fact that servo motors are an incredibly versatile and efficient piece of engineering with a wide range of applications and uses.

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