Torque and Speed Relationship

Torque / Speed Curves

It is very important to know how to read a torque/speed curve because it describes what a motor can and cannot do. It is also important to keep in mind that a torque/speed curve is for a given motor and a given driver. Torque is dependent on the driver type and voltage. The same motor can have a very different torque/speed curve when used with a different driver. The torque/speed curves in this catalog are given for reference only. The same motor with a similar drive, similar voltage and similar current should give similar performance. Torque/speed charts can also be used to roughly estimate the torque produced using different drivers at varying voltages and currents.

Torque/speed curves have torque on the Y-axis, measured in N-m (in this catalog), and speed on the X-axis, measured in PPS (pulses per seconds) or Hz.

Holding Torque: amount of torque that the motor produces when it has rated current flowing through the windings but the motor is at rest.
Detent Torque: amount of torque that the motor produces when it is not energized. No current is flowing through the windings.
Pull-in Torque Curve: Shows the maximum value of torque at given speeds that the motor can start, stop or reverse in synchronism with the input pulses. The motor cannot start at a speed that is beyond this curve. It also cannot instantly reverse or stop with any accuracy at a point beyond this curve.
Stop / Start Region: area on and underneath the pull-in curve. For any load value in this region, the motor can start, stop, or reverse “instantly” (no ramping required) at the corresponding speed value.
Pull-out Torque Curve: Shows the maximum value of torque at given speeds that the motor can generate while running in synchronism. If the motor is run outside of this curve, it will stall.
Slew Range: the area between the pull-in and the pull-out curves, where to maintain synchronism, the motor speed must be ramped (adjusted gradually).

Performance Factors

Torque is proportional to the winding current and the number of turns of wire. To increase torque by 20%, increase the current by about 20%. To decrease the torque by 50%, reduce the current by 50%. Because of magnetic saturation, there is no advantage to increasing the current to more than 2 times the rated current and doing so may damage the motor.

Inductance reduces a step motor’s high speed torque performance. Inductance is the reason all motors eventually lose torque at higher speeds. Each motor winding has a certain value of inductance and resistance.

The “electrical time constant” is the amount of time it takes a motor coil to charge up to 63% of its rated value. If a motor is rated at 1 amp, after one time constant, the coil will be at 0.63 amps, giving the motor about 63% of rated torque. After two time constants, the current will increase to 0.86 amps, giving the motor about 86% of rated torque.

t = L/R

Inductance “L” (mH), divided by resistance “R” (&), gives the electrical time constant “t” (ms).

At low speeds, high inductance is not a problem. Current can easily flow into the motor windings fast enough that the motor has rated torque. At high speeds, however, sufficient current cannot get into the winding fast enough before the current is switched to the next phase, thereby reducing motor torque. Increasing the driver voltage can fight this loss of torque at higher speeds by forcing current into the windings of the motor at an increased rate. In summary, the current and the number of coil turns in the windings determine a motor’s maximum torque output, while the voltage applied to the motor and the inductance of its windings will affect the speed at which a given amount of torque can be generated.