In this paper, an approach angle-based saturation function of modified complementary sliding mode control (MCMSC) method was proposed to overcome the influence of uncertainties such as parameter variations and external disturbances on permanent magnet linear synchronous motor (PMLSM) servo system. On the foundation of the mathematical model considering uncertainties of PMLSM and the theory of sliding mode control (SMC), complementary sliding mode control (CSMC) method was designed by combining the integral sliding surface with the complementary sliding surface. By using the continuous saturation function, CSMC can efficiently eliminate the system chattering phenomenon caused by the discontinuous function in SMC and further improve the position tracking accuracy. However, the saturation function makes the boundary layer in CSMC constant, so the asymptotic stability of the system cannot be guaranteed. Hence, an approach angle-based saturation function of MCSMC was designed to realize the dynamic change of the boundary layer, which can diminish the boundary layer with the change of state trajectory until it converges to the sliding surface, thereby further improving the robustness of the system. Additionally, the hybrid SMC methods, such as fuzzy-SMC and neural network-SMC (NN-SMC), are avoided. A precise test platform based on digital signal processor (DSP) was implemented, and experimental results are shown to demonstrate the effectiveness and correctness of the proposed method.INDEX TERMS Permanent magnet linear synchronous motor (PMLSM), uncertainties, complementary sliding mode control (CSMC), saturation function, approach angle.