Lin Engineering now sells 106 Series hybrid stepper motors with a step angle of 3.46° and 104 steps per revolution. The compact motors are just 16 mm wide but deliver to 1.85 oz-in. holding torque. That equates to quadruple the holding torque of can-stack PM steppers … and in fact, the 106 Series hybrid stepper motors are five times more accurate than can-stack PM steppers as well.

The 106 Series motors are designed to satisfy increased demand for ever-smaller equipment with enough torque and speed to be useful in these applications — particularly useful for medical devices and laboratory automation. The aim is to eliminate the need for OEMs to pick large-framed motors and then shrink the rest of the design to accommodate the motor. More after the jump.

Lin Engineering hybrid stepper motor expertise spurred creation of the new NEMA-6 motor.

Increasing the step angle from a typical 1.8° to 3.46° allows for twice the holding torque of competing designs and nearly quadruple the holding torque of conventional permanent-magnet (PM) stepper motors of comparable size — which typically have to0.5 oz-in. of holding torque maximum.

Or consider how a typical PM motor may only deliver a step angle of 18° or 20 steps/rev. Because the Lin Engineering 3.46° hybrid stepper motor delivers 5.7 times higher resolution than that, output motion is more precise.

In addition, the 106 Series leverages the speed advantages of BLDC motor technology. The step angle pairs with the low-inertia rotor design to deliver 1 oz-in. of dynamic torque at speeds to 8,000 RPM.

Specific applications include miniature pumps, optical sensor controls, and fluid metering and control. Other applications include motorized hand tools such as electronic pipettes. For more information, visit the Lin Engineering product page on the 106 Series motors.