This is a very interesting thread,with evidently some very experienced people responding. I don't want to hijack this thread,but I think my questions would be relevant. There seems to be a myriad of considerations when choosing stepper motors and drives. Unfortunately,for the newbie,some of these considerations are very difficult to quantify. So here is what I want to do....
I have a couple of Longs motors Nema 23 steppers, 425oz with an inductance of 6.8mH per phase.
Drivers can handle up to 50v.
Psu is 36v 9.6A
Ballscrews have a 5mm pitch.
Now, lf I use that formula used earlier in the thread,these motors "should" be fed about 80v... More than the drivers can handle. However....
I want to use it with a laser welder. My feed rate will be dictated by the frequency at which I can fire the laser,in my case, 40 times a minute. Assuming a maximum spot diameter of 2 mm and 50% step over,this would give me a maximum feed rate of 40mm a minute. Obviously it's not like a lathe or a milling machine where the load goes up exponentially with regards to the depth of cut. The load will be constant. So.... I would still need to rapid occasionally, but it's not really a major issue. So, what would the best route to go be? Should I uprate the psu to 48v? Would I be better off say using a 3 to 1 reduction on the stepper motors? That would lend itself to a more compact set up, and more controllablility with finer work with say a 0,3mm spot weld and 50% step over.
Enlighten me !