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I'm pretty much brand new to both stepper motors and PLC's and electrical in general, although I have an idea of the theory of how they work/what they do.

I am trying to achieve is to be able to have a input (a lever, distance sensor, or a control knob), that will result in the stepper motor moving to a certain position.

So when the lever is right down (or the distance sensor is at 6m) I want the stepper motor to be at 0degrees, when the lever is half way (or distance sensor at 4m) the stepper motor needs to be 45degrees, and when the lever is right up (or distance sensor is at 2m), stepper motor needs to move to 90 degrees.

Obviously I only need to use one of these inputs on each setup.

My questions are:

  • Is this even doable?
  • If so, how difficult will it be for me being a NOOB? And where should I look to for advice/basics? Or do I need to hire a professional?

I have managed to find info on the net about people doing this with Arduino, however I am told that Arduino isn't really ideal for Industrial application. We are using Crouzet PLC's in another application currently, so ideally I would go for that brand.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Remember that steppers cannot move to an absolute position- you will have to establish a reference position by homing at some point. Maybe your PLC maker has a motion control module you can purchase. From the sounds of it you might do better with a closed-loop servo system. \$\endgroup\$
    – Spehro 'speff' Pefhany
    Commented Mar 10, 2019 at 3:07
  • \$\begingroup\$ It is perfectly possibly to get PLC motor controllers for stepper motors, such as Beckhoff EL7037 for example. Do consider servo motors if low speed velocity control is a priority, as steppers are a noisy, choppy affair with potential thermal issues, if you need holding torque as well. \$\endgroup\$
    – electroGeek
    Commented Nov 13, 2023 at 6:15

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I depends on PLC capabilities. I has to have fast transistor outputs to control the stepper driver electronics. It has to have built-in functions to control the stepper motor, typically this is called pulse train output (PTO).

If your PLC hasn't above listed fetures, then it can't do the stepper motor control. There is for sure a manual describing the capabilities of this PLC with some examples.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Paragraph 2: "then it can't do the stepper control", surely? \$\endgroup\$
    – MrGerber
    Commented Aug 5 at 5:46
  • \$\begingroup\$ @MrGerber Corrected. Thank you, \$\endgroup\$
    – Marko Buršič
    Commented Aug 9 at 15:17

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