Oriental Motors is exhibiting its Alphastep Hybrid family of positioning products as well as its high torque stepper motors at PACK EXPO Las Vegas.

The company’s Alphastep Hybrid Control System uses a unique combination of open- and closed- loop control methodologies. Typically, open-loop control systems do not take in any feedback from the machine movement back to the controller. As a result of this, they run at a constant, pre-determined speed and are not capable of recalibrating themselves in response to external disturbances or changing process conditions without manual assistance from an operator. By contrast, closed-loop control systems employ a feedback loop wherin position data from the motor or other actuator is continuously collected by the controller. This allows automatic and immediate recalibration to occur as variables such as load rate or stress rate change.

The Alphastep uses an open-loop system under normal operating circumstances, but is able to switch to closed-loop control if an error or disturbance is detected. This grants the ease of an open-loop system without sacrificing the precision of a closed-loop system.

The high torque stepper motors being exhibited are ideal for applications that require substantial force at a low speed. Examples include: rapid mix granulators and tablet pressing machines for use in the pharmaceutical industry, metal and plastic extruder machines, and various types of packaging equipment.