Electric motor having stationary drive mechanism

A system, comprising:

• a ball screw shaft fixedly attached to an assembly housing;
• a direct drive servo motor rotatably coupled to the ball screw shaft, the direct drive servo motor comprising:
• a direct drive motor configured to provide rotational motion in response to a control signal;
• a controller communicatively coupled to the direct drive motor and configured to provide a control signal to the direct drive motor to control the rotational motion;
• an encoder coupled to the direct drive motor and the controller and configured to provide a feedback signal to the controller indictive of the rotational motion of the direct drive motor;
• and
• a rotatably attached ball screw nut coupled to a housing for the direct drive motor, the ball screw nut configured to engage a ball screw shaft such that rotational motion imparted by the direct drive motor causes the servo motor system to move about the ball screw shaft while the ball screw shaft remains stationary;
• work operation area disposed in the assembly and adjacent to the direct drive servo motor device;
• and
• an end effector disposed on the direct drive servo motor device and configured to perform one or more operation in the work operation area.

A method, comprising:

• engaging a stationary ball screw shaft with a rotatably attached ball screw nut that is part of a direct drive motor;
• transmitting a control signal to a controller coupled to the direct drive motor that is part of a servo motor assembly configured to cause rotational motion of the ball screw nut in response to the control signal;
• detecting imparted motion of the direct drive motor through an encoder coupled directly to the direct drive motor, the imparted motion responsive to the control signal;
• moving the servo motor assembly laterally with respect to the stationary ball screw shaft.