What is servo tuning?
A servo is a type of closed-loop feedback circuit. A servo motor works by comparing the motor’s actual position (as read from a feedback device – usually a position encoder) to the desired position (as calculated by the motion controller) and by dynamically adjusting the motion controller’s command output signal so as to try to minimize the difference (error) between the two. The magnitude of the controller’s command output not only depends on the error itself, but is also governed by the settings of the controller’s digital filter parameters. PMC motion controllers use a digital filter known as a PID (Proportional, Integral, and Derivative – with velocity and acceleration feeds-forward), and the act of defining the parameters of the PID filter so as to maximize motor performance and accuracy is called Servo Tuning. Without special tools, servo tuning can be a time-consuming trial-and-error process.
