Stepper Motors and the Genesis of OJ Electronics Drives

In recent decades, however, stepper motors have been become a popular alternative for a range of applications. This made it natural for OJ Electronics to look at stepper options when we decided to develop a whole new type of motor for rotary heat exchangers.

From modern printers to emerging CNC and robotics technologies, stepper motors are utilized for their step-by-step accuracy and high torque, enabling consistent torque delivery even under demanding conditions such as low-speed operation. This ability to maintain reliable performance under demanding conditions is what captivated our engineers.

Constant Torque at Low Speeds

Compared to many other applications, rotary heat exchangers need to deliver consistent performance at lower speeds. This requires high torque at even very low speeds. In theory, OJ’s engineers reasoned, a stepper motor would enable heat exchangers to operate at exactly the right speed and maintain their speed – even with humidity and other difficult conditions. And this would help ensure consistently high performance.

A Curious Hybrid – and Legendary Series

In practice, a stepper motor was only the first step in creating what would become OJ’s rotary drive solution, launched in 2017. As development work progressed, our team implemented major modifications – such as going from the two-phase to three-phase power. The many modifications resulted in a final product so heavily customized, it can better be defined as a hybrid between a stepper and a permanent-magnet motor.

 

Simple Means Reliable

There was another reason why the stepper motor made an advantageous starting point for OJ’s rotary drive solutions. The lack of gears, hardware sensors and other components found in geared motors make these motors simple and straightforward, which can mean a more reliable system with fewer parts to wear and require maintenance. And it makes installation faster and more straightforward.