Motion control, a wide-ranging field made up of scores of components and subsystems, garners a lot of attention. We thought it would be fun to take a look back over the past year to see what readers were interested in the most. So here are the top 6 stories from MotionControlTips.com for 2016.

1. What’s the difference between detent torque and holding torque?

One feature of stepper motors that differentiates them from other motor types—particularly servomotors—is that they exhibit holding torque. This means that when the windings are energized but the rotor is stationary, the motor can hold the load in place. But a stepper motor can also hold a load in place when there is no current applied to the windings (for example, in a power-off condition). This is commonly known as the detent torque or residual torque.

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