For a stepper motor drive, the designer must consider the speed-torque performance of the motor and guarantee that it is always operating under the speed-torque curve of the motor. If the available torque at a given speed is exceeded, the motor will stall and stop. This figure shows a typical speed-torque curve for a stepper motor. Notice the downward slope at higher speeds. Although this curve can be found on the motor’s datasheet, the real performance curve has some discontinuities.