motion controller selection

[Georgeycw]

Dear all,

I am building a 3 stepper motors with 1 encoder for linear motion system by using labview NI6212 for a stuent project in University. I am using faulhaber stepper motor AM1524-2R-V-6-35-07 + 15/8-262:1 and AM2224-2R-AV-4.8-12 + 22EKV-10486:1 and driver board AD-CM-M1S.

I am not familar with motion control and I would like to ask few general questions.

Should I buy motion controller or I can program it in labVIEW? The function of my system is stretching polymer sample, so the force is changing over time. I think a closed-loop feedback system is neccessary. 

Can I use NI or faulhaber motion controller?

Is the software provided already so that I can integrate to my existing labview program?

My questions may be too general and I hope you can give me some online resource to read.

Thank you very much!

Cheers,

George

[The_Hunt]

Hello George, 

Considering what you have said regarding your application, I would indeed recommend purchasing an NI Motion Controller. The 73xx motion cards are great for a wide variety of both simple and complex motion applications. They also come with analog-digital converters for onboard data acquisition, as well as a host of advanced motion trajectory and triggering features. Here are some links that can help provide you with information regarding motion systems and how to properly select its components. 

Motion System Selection Guide

Regarding third party drives, though many are compatible, we cannot guarantee compatiblitty of all drives nor are we able to support them. That being said you may want to take a look at these KBs which describe some issues to be mindful of when looking at third party drives.

How Do I get the 73xx Controller and UMI-7764 to Drive a Third Party Stepper Motor?
How to Connect NI 73xx Digital Outputs to Third Party Equipment
How to connect the 73xx inhibit and command signal outputs to third party drives.

A few points to take away from these links are what kind of current gets sinked and sourced by the drives in order to insure compatibility. Regarding stepper motors, again we will only be able to guarantee compatibility and provide support for stepper motors provided by NI. That said, the majority of stepper motors I've seen are compatible with our equipment assuming the drive it's connected to is compatible. 

Selecting the Proper Size Stepper Motor
NI Stepper Motion System Selection Guide
How Can I Determine My Stepper Motor Wiring Without the Stepper Motor Pinout?

If you do purchase an NI Motion Controller, then the NI-Motion driver software comes included with the purchase. This software is a set of high-level software commands used for communicating with NI motion controllers. It includes variety of LabVIEW VIs and examples to help you be successful in creating your motion application. 

[SeanConn]

Hey George,

I was in a similar situation in searching for motion control parts in the past. I wasn't able to find any real answers when I was searching through forums, however I called a company called Motion Marketplace that offered me some pretty great support. The engineers were able to really help me find the stepper motor and controllers that I needed. 

Perhaps you could give them a try to?

www.motionmarketplace.com 

Or specifically, if you're looking at stepper controllers :

http://www.motionmarketplace.com/products/motor-controls/5-phase-stepping-motor-controls/index.php

[nickkay]

If you're having some trouble locating some cost effective motion control parts, you may want to check this website out.  I was once in your situation ,and this site helped me out a lot.

http://www.motioncontrolguide.com/index.php 

-OR-

http://www.motioncontrolguide.com/learn/guides/stepper-motor-guide/