Nanotec® Stepper Motors – Powering the Cogs of Your Imagination

Are motors boring? Well we don’t think so, obviously.  But if when you think of motors all you visualise are washing machines, production lines or the circuit boards that you built at school then think again.

Mechatronics has advanced amazingly in recent times.  Think of the development of the printer. Originally only in black and white now we have full colour 3D printing and the endless possibilities that entails.  Advanced technology encasing some simple but very clever motors.

This mixing of the sciences with the arts is exactly what accelerates the advancements in technology – opening up new possibilities previously unimaginable.

A beautiful example of art meeting basic motor mechanics can be seen in the Corpus Clock at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.  This public work of art is a mechanical time piece employing the minds of engineers, sculptors and jewellers working with gold, silver and neon lights in its creation.  But what’s at the heart of it, winding the mechanism and making the whole time-piece possible? – A  electric motor.

Using Motors in Art

At the opposite end of the spectrum both decoratively and mechanically is Richard Downing’s Fractal Clock.  This stunning paradigm of minimalist design uses more than eighty motors to control the precise movements of suspended triangles of slate.  The triangles themselves orbit and therefore the visual appearance of the clock changes depending on the time and your viewpoint of the installation.  And it’s the Nanotec® stepper motor that makes it possible.

However the adaptability and ease of use of the Nanotec® stepper motor means that you don’t have to have a degree in mechanical engineering to use them.  Nanotec® stepper motors are now so accessible and competitively priced that they are playing an increasingly bigger part within traditionally artistic environments.

It is the simplicity and versatility of a perfectly engineered motor such as the Nanotec® stepper motor that makes it the perfect choice for an inconceivable amount of applications. 

The Nanotec® stepper motors are simple to use and are easy to digitally control even with control panels or computers.  They have few parts so are mechanically reliable.  Of all the different motor types stepper motors have the highest torque in the low speed range and have extremely precise positioning making them perfect for repeatable movements.

Artists, university enterprises and even schools are benefiting from the additional innovation opportunities that using stepper motors offers.  Whether you’re doing scenography, robotics or animation, setting up an art installation, set design or lighting imagine how much more engaging it would be if it moved!

If you feel at a loss as to where to start, don’t worry, you’re not alone.  Firstly, the Nanotec® Company has the same creative ethos.  Their skilled employees focus their innovative abilities on research and advancing new developments to produce quality, competitively priced products.  Combine that with our dedicated, hands-on team at All Drives and Controls and you’ll be able to make your creative dreams a reality.

If you’d like to see just what level of support we give then take a closer look at the Fractal Clock mentioned earlier.  Yes, we helped with that.

So, just how creative can a stepper motor be?  We don’t know…yet.

Let your imagination run wild and let the creativity flow.  Challenge our team at All Drives and Controls and, with Nanotec® stepper motors, together we will make it happen.

Discuss your ideas with our friendly team here.