Company T, which develops, manufactures, and sells FA equipment, was working on developing a new AGV for a food factory, but was facing several challenges regarding motor selection.
Mr. N, head of the design department at Company T, said:
"For the current AGV, we purchased stepping motors and encoders from another manufacturer, assembled them in-house, and attached them to the four wheels. We checked the wheel position and speed information from the encoder signals and controlled each wheel individually."
However, this motor had some issues.
"Firstly, the cost of assembling the motor and encoder was an issue. Not only were parts required, but the assembly labor was also a factor in increasing costs.
In addition, when a malfunction occurred, it was difficult to determine the cause and the warranty. If a malfunction occurred in the operation of an AGV, not only did it take time to identify the cause and take measures to determine whether the cause was the motor, the encoder, or an assembly problem, but it also became difficult to determine the warranty," said Mr. N.
After much deliberation, Mr. N decided to consider using a servo motor. However...
"To solve these issues, we considered switching to a servo motor. However, to keep costs down for our current machines, we manufacture the drivers in-house, but it would be difficult to manufacture a servo motor in-house, and we would have to purchase the motor and amplifier as a set. A servo motor would fully meet the specifications, but it would increase costs." (Mr. N)
With the development time running out, Mr. N was at a loss as he was unable to find a motor that met his requirements...
Mr. N continued to gather information and consulted with another department of SANYO DENKI CO., LTD., a company with which he had business. He learned that the problem could be solved by the closed-loop stepping motor "SANMOTION Model No.PB ( Closed Loop )" that was proposed to him there.
Mr. N became interested and immediately decided to hear more about it.
"At first, I consulted them to help me select a servo motor, but they proposed a motor with an integrated encoder. I was surprised by their bold words: "We can meet our required specifications without a servo. This will eliminate the need for us to assemble the motor and encoder in-house, reducing production man-hours and costs."
It also makes it easier to identify the cause when a problem occurs, which also improves the speed at which we can take action." (Mr. N)
After receiving the proposal, Mr. N immediately carried out an evaluation test.
"Even during the evaluation tests, SANYO DENKI CO., LTD. made proactive suggestions. They carefully listened to our requirements and customized the motor to the optimal specifications so that we could use our in-house driver. They were also flexible in responding to requests for changes to the lead wire length and connectors, which was extremely helpful." (Mr. N)
After this, Company T officially decided to adopt SANYO DENKI CO., LTD. 's closed-loop stepping motors.
"Of course, the product's performance was the deciding factor, but so was its 'comprehensive strength', including its flexible customization capabilities and service and support capabilities. As we continue to seek to develop demand for AGVs in a variety of fields, we look forward to consulting with SANYO DENKI CO., LTD. on a variety of matters." (Mr. N)
For more information about stepping motors, please see "What is a stepping motor? An explanation of its structure, types, usage (drive system and control method), advantages and features."
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