Servomotor help: Demystify servo sizing

The servomotors and servo amplifiers on a nine-axis machine that makes a profitable product are nearing end of life. You need to retrofit the servomotors, and the deadline was yesterday. What do you do? Sixto Moralez, senior regional motion engineer, Yaskawa America Inc., offers some advice in the May 17, 2022, webcast, “Demystifying Servo Sizing,” and below. The webcast is archived for a year after the live event.

Sometimes, sizing servomotors for a retrofit machine can be a daunting task given the various elements of the machine, Moralez said. With so many moving parts, it often is tempting to invest in a slightly larger motor as a safeguard. Since the price of servomotors and their components can be significant, that may not be the best approach. Know how to size servomotors for various applications. During the webcast, Moralez provides a sizing demonstration with Yaskawa SigmaSelect software.

Learning objectives include common servo sizing errors

Servo sizing concepts and investment comparisons are the payoff from the webcast learning objectives:

• Understand common mistakes when sizing
• Review some common servomotor applications
• See how selecting a gearbox assists in sizing selection
• Observe a live sizing demonstration.

Common servomotor locations include applications that have actuators, bottling, gantry, pulleys, sheeter/slitter and winders. Live attendees to the webcast will have an opportunity to share their servomotor applications early in the presentation.

Common errors, Moralez said, are in comparisons of ac induction motors and servomotors, ignoring inertia ratio and the “manufacturer crossover trap.”

Ignoring inertia ratio is among key errors in servomotor sizing to fit the application, explained Sixto Moralez, senior regional motion engineer and Latin America sales manager at Yaskawa America Inc. Moralez explains and demonstrated how to size servomotors for various applications in a May 17, 2022, Control Engineering webcast. Courtesy: Yaskawa

While not every application needs a gearbox, it may decrease output speed, increase output torque and reduce motor size, depending on the application.

In the webcast, by using servomotor sizing software, Moralez demonstrated how to size a servo motor for a specific motion-control application.

Sixto Moralez is senior regional motion engineer and Latin America sales manager at Yaskawa America Inc. Edited by Mark T. Hoske, content manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media and Technology, mhoske@cfemedia.com.

KEYWORDS: Servomotor sizing tutorial, demonstration

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