Originally Posted by
coherent
Those are pretty small steppers, but you didn't say what type of machine you're building. Nema 17 size steppers are fine for small projects and those that don't have actual side cutting forces like a router or mill would have. With something like a 3d printer or a laser cutter they work fine and are common. Sure you can use a dual stepper setup on a single axis and it will help, but it would be much simpler and cost effective to just use a single nema 23 stepper to start with. IMO using 2 of (even the exact same steppers) on opposite ends of a single screw are a recipe for problems & issues. Driving 2 motors off a single driver has it's issues and limitations & using separate controller drivers and slaving one to the other helps with some of the possible problems but remember your steppers are (most common and likely) open loop and provide no precise positioning feedback capabilities.