Servo Tuning

The Automation1 controller uses axis feedback to control the positioning accuracy and dynamic response of precision motion stages. The typical feedback control strategy for Aerotech products is a lead-lag implementation of a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) compensator. When you do servo tuning, you will adjust servo parameters to define the response to motion commands, errors, and disturbances. The tuning process has trade-offs between dynamic performance and servo stability. This guide shows you how to select the correct parameters for your application.

If you make changes to the servo parameters, they can have a large effect on how the axis responds to position commands. In the Possible Servo Tuning Profiles graph that follows, the blue curve shows the step response of a well-tuned axis. If the values of the servo parameters are too low, the orange curve shows a slow response. If the values of the servo parameters are too high, the red curve shows an oscillatory response.