A few steps past the foot of the escalator into the exhibit hall of the world’s largest multidisciplinary photonics event, PI’s booth displays the latest state-of-the-art precision motion technologies. PI engineers are on-hand to answer questions and propose solutions for precision motion projects in industry, research, and science.
High-Speed Precision Automation: Hybrid Gantries / Linear Motors / Air Bearings / Piezo Flexures
PI’s hybrid gantry has a unique, space saving design. The bridge axis is equipped with an air bearing guide that allows exact control of velocity as well as outstanding repeatability and straightness, while reducing particle emission over the work area considerably.
New linear motor stages, specifically developed for industrial automation, help photonics and laser processing engineers design better performing motion systems. New piezo flexure-guided linear positioners offer excellent precision and responsiveness with step and settle typically in the millisecond range with billions of cycles of service life. Cost-effective and small footprint options are available for easy integration into applications such as image scanning, overlay, fast autofocus, interferometry, and super-resolution microscopy. Air bearings with linear motor drives provide another option when long travel vibration-free motion is required, highly constant velocity control is crucial, together with angular repeatability and geometric performance.
High-Speed Photonics Alignment Engines – Hexapods and Linear Motors Systems
PI’s SiP alignment product line addresses the requirement of aligning multiple optical paths with multiple interacting inputs and outputs, each requiring optimization. The automated alignment engines include 3 to 12-axis mechanisms, controllers with firmware based alignment algorithms, and the software tools to meet the high accuracy demands of different markets such as packing, planar testing, and inspection. Hexapod 6-axis parallel positioning systems are instrumental to fast SiP alignment due to their lower inertia, improved dynamics, smaller package size, higher stiffness, and a programmable pivot point. Fast, Linear-Motor-Driven systems based on Ehtercat / ACS industrial motion controllers will also be shown.
Microscopy Imaging and Bio-Nanotechnology Solution Packages
Researchers make use of the sub-atomic resolution and extreme responsiveness of piezo stages and nanopositioners to create higher-quality images faster. PI provides a large variety of fast XYZ piezo stages and microscope lens positioners for 3D imaging (Z-stack acquisition), deconvolution, and fast auto-focusing applications. A line of ultra-stable long-travel XY microscope stages with self-locking piezo motors is also available.
Miniaturization – Finger-Tip Sized Actuators and Positioners
The ongoing miniaturization of instruments requires opto-mechanical alignment, positioning, and assembly on a smaller scale. Direct drive piezo motors that are only a few millimeters in size enable ultra-compact positioning stages. Finger-tip sized linear and rotary stages are standard, but much smaller custom designs are feasible. Resolutions from microns to nanometers are standard.
Precision Motion Control Technologies - Insights
Source: https://www.pi-usa.us/en/