At ESI Motion, we’re proud to engineer and manufacture some of the most powerful, rugged, and high-performance servo drives in the world. Our servo drives and servo controllers regularly play mission-critical roles in everything from NASA to military missions, and we uphold a rigorous standard of quality for every product we create. But what is a servo motor, exactly? To help you understand what makes servo drive systems unique, we wanted to cover some of the basics of servo motors.

What Is a Servo Motor?

First, let’s understand some terminology. The term “servo” can apply to motors, drives, and systems, and it essentially refers to a motor system that’s able to measure the difference between desired performance and actual performance, then adjust to make up that difference. Accordingly, the term “servo” can apply to a number of specific components – it simply signifies that the machine is capable of measuring and correcting its performance.

Servo motors are motors in a servo system. Servo motors can be either AC or DC motors, and can be made either brushed or brushless. In some cases, servo motors contain a feedback device in the form of an encoder or resolver. This component measures the performance of the servo motor, then relays that information back to a servo drive. The servo drive compares the actual performance of the motor against the desired performance, then adjusts the voltage to make up for any difference between the two values.

In essence, servo motors work within a servo system to provide more reliable motor performance. By measuring and adjusting the actual performance of the motor, servo systems can safeguard the accuracy of a motor’s performance, making them ideal for applications where accurate performance is important.

Contact Your Servo Drive Experts

Any servo system needs both a servo motor and a servo drive – and at ESI Motion, we’re proud to create some of the most powerful, rugged servo drives in the world. Our servo drives have proven their performance in environments as diverse as the surface of Mars and the bottom of the ocean, and we carefully engineer and manufacture each of our drives for maximum performance and reliability. Contact us today to learn more about our servo drives and see how ESI Motion can help you with your next motor control application!