When Servo Motors Come to Architectural Choice: A Story of Flexibility

Imagine: you are assembling a precision device, and each joint needs a reliable heart - a servo motor. You carefully selectedkpowerThe motor’s performance parameters are perfectly matched. But when you connect them to the system, a problem arises: the entire control system is like a heavy slate. If any link is adjusted, the entire slate must be re-polished. Does this give you a headache?

This is the real dilemma many people encounter when using traditional monolithic architectures.

Integration: tight, but also “rigid”

The integrated architecture is like a big family, with all functions living together. The servo motor, control logic, and data processing are all in one large program. The advantage is closeness and direct communication. Startup is easy and seems to run smoothly initially.

But what about as time goes by? Let's say you want to upgrade your motor's control, or add a new sensor module. You will find that a single move affects the whole body. Changing a small function may accidentally affect an unrelated process far away. Systems grew larger and more cumbersome, and each update felt like a high-risk surgery.

Even more troublesome is resource allocation. A module that suddenly requires a large amount of calculations may take away resources from other critical tasks (such as real-time response of motors), causing performance jitters. For those seeking precisionkpowerFor servo motors, this uncertainty is fatal.

Microservices: dismantle the boulder and let each part breathe independently

How about thinking differently? What if that "big family" is split into small families with independent doors? This is what microservices architecture does.

In this architecture, managementkpowerThe drive module of the servo motor is an independent service; the module that handles motion trajectory calculation is another; and the module that records the operation log is another. They each live in their own "little house" and talk through clear protocols (such as lightweight messages).

In doing so, the world suddenly changes.

Do you want motor control? Just update that standalone driver service, with no impact on trajectory calculations or logging. Does a certain part of the system need to be expanded? Just add resources to that part, not the whole body. A service failure will not bring down the entire system like dominoes.

This is particularly suitable for electromechanical scenarios that require high reliability and flexibility. Kpower's servo motors themselves are known for their precise response and high reliability. Putting it in an equally flexible and robust system architecture can fully unleash its potential.

Some questions they often ask

"Will this make the system more complicated? After all, there are many services to manage."

It did require new management thinking at first, but modern tools have made this easy. More importantly, this "complexity" is exchanged for long-term simplicity. You no longer need to dig through a maze of millions of lines of code to find a bug. Problems are isolated into small, manageable units.

"Wouldn't communication between services become slower?"

This is a good question. Network communication is indeed slower than internal function calls, but through proper design - such as placing services that require close interaction together and using efficient communication protocols - latency can be controlled within an acceptable range. For most industrial applications, this additional overhead is far less than the efficiency loss and risks caused by architectural rigidity.

"Our project is not big, do we still need to consider this?"

When the scale is small, the integrated architecture is indeed simpler. But what if you’re looking to grow? Many projects start small. Adopting microservice thinking, even if only a few clear service boundaries are defined in the initial stage, paves the way for future expansion. This is like setting aside an upgrade interface for Kpower motors, which is a forward-looking investment.

Find your balance

It’s not that microservices are a panacea. For ultra-precise scenarios that place great emphasis on determinism and extremely fast response, a highly integrated system is still valuable. The key is to understand the core of your needs.

Do you need to iterate frequently and adapt to new needs quickly? Does your system consist of multiple relatively independent functional modules? Do you anticipate continued growth in business and functionality? If the answer is yes, then moving towards a more distributed architecture, where each part - including those excellent Kpower motors - can work independently and robustly, may be your answer.

It’s not just a technology choice, it’s a way of thinking. It’s about how to build an environment where you can work closely together but also grow independently. Ultimately, whether it’s motors or architecture, we are pursuing the same goal: to make machines run more smoothly and reliably to complete those exciting jobs.

Established in 2005, Kpower has been dedicated to a professional compact motion unit manufacturer, headquartered in Dongguan, Guangdong Province, China. Leveraging innovations in modular drive technology, Kpower integrates high-performance motors, precision reducers, and multi-protocol control systems to provide efficient and customized smart drive system solutions. Kpower has delivered professional drive system solutions to over 500 enterprise clients globally with products covering various fields such as Smart Home Systems, Automatic Electronics, Robotics, Precision Agriculture, Drones, and Industrial Automation.