Servo Motor vs Stepper Motor: How to Choose

What the video shows

Servo motor vs stepper motor explained: open-loop steps vs closed-loop encoder feedback, torque-speed curves and how to choose, with a sizing example. A stepper motor counts pulses and runs open loop; if the load or the acceleration asks for too much, it misses steps and the controller never knows. A servo motor measures its position with an encoder (a 23-bit encoder resolves 8,388,608 positions per revolution) and corrects errors with the position, velocity and current loops in its drive. The video covers torque-speed curves, a side-by-side comparison, when to choose which, field footage of an ONX flying shear and 17-axis cake line, and the ball screw example from our motor sizing guide: 2,250 rpm and 8.08 kg·cm² load inertia; an inertia ratio of 33 with a 0.4 kW low-inertia motor and 4.9 with a 0.75 kW medium-inertia motor.