Two-axis Sawyer motor for motion systems

For a number of years, two-axis Sawyer motors have been used as motive devices for flatbed plotters and wafer probers. These two applications are quite different in their requirements for motor dynamics, but both depend on the motor's high speed and good open-loop positioning capability, as well as on its almost unlimited life expectancy. The motors are now being applied to a variety of other motion system requirements, and motor and control drive electronics tailored to these more general applications are being produced. This paper presents some general properties of the motors and describes the control strategies utilized to maximize their performance.