Precision Motion Control Overview

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Hexapods, Six-Axis Micropositioning Stages

Motorized Positioning Stages and Actuators

Motorized Positioning Stages, Actuators

Fiber Alignment Stages / Photonics Alignment

Motion Controllers for Precision Micropositioning Systems

Ceramic Linear Motors: PILine Ultrasonic Motors, Nexline PiezoWalk Nano-Drivers

Nanopositioning: Piezo Stages, Actuators, Piezo Controllers, Sensors

Micropositioning: Motorized Positioning Stage, Hexapods, Controllers

Micropositioning: Motorized Positioning Stages, Hexapods, Controllers

L-239 High-Load Motorized Linear Actuators, High Precision

(4)

V-551 PIMag® Ultra-High Precision Linear Motor Linear Translation Stage

(3) High velocity and precision due to magnetic direct drive

Highest precision with PIOne linear encoder: Minimum incremental motion 0.5 nm

High guiding accuracy

Compact design with 160 mm width

Reference-class linear stage
Thanks to the smooth-running precision linear guides with crossed roller bearings, the linear stage is particularly suitable for scanning applications with constant velocity. The anti-creep system reliably prevents cage creep. The guides have high load capacity and high precision under all operating conditions.

PIMag® magnetic direct drive
3-phase magnetic direct drives do not use mechanical components in the drivetrain, they transmit the drive force to the motion platform directly and without friction. The drives reach high velocities and accelerations. Ironless motors are particularly suitable for positioning tasks with the highest demands on precision because there is no undesirable interaction with the permanent magnets. This allows smooth running even at the lowest velocities and at the same time, there is no vibration at high velocities. Nonlinearity in control behavior is avoided and any position can be controlled easily. The drive force can be set freely.

Direct position measuring
Position measuring is performed with the highest accuracy directly at the motion platform so that nonlinearity, mechanical play or elastic deformation have no influence on position measuring.

The high-resolution PIOne encoder was developed by PI and, with corresponding processing of the measured values, allows a position resolution of much less than one nanometer. The optical and noncontact PIOne encoders are based on an interferometric measuring principle. Due to the short signal period and the high quality of the signals, the linearity error of PIOne encoders is less than 1 %. PIOne encoders support direction sensing when evaluating a reference signal.
Absolute encoders supply explicit position information that enables immediate determination of the position. This means that referencing is not required during switch-on, which increases efficiency and safety during operation.

Fields of application
Industry and research. Automation, measuring technology, photonics and precision scanning in semiconductor or flat panel display manufacturing

V-508 Precision Direct-Drive Linear Motor Slides

(6) Incremental or absolute linear encoder, various resolutions

Crossed roller guides for high load capacity

Iron core or ironless PIMag® linear motor developed by PI

Flexible adaption
The construction allows flexible adaption to the requirements. Technically sophisticated and cost-critical applications can be equally served with different travel ranges, drives, and measuring systems. XY assemblies are also possible

PIMag® linear motor
Linear motors are electromagnetic direct drives. They dispense with mechanical components in the drivetrain and transfer the drive force directly and friction-free to the motion platform. The drives reach high velocities and accelerations.

Ironless motors are particularly suitable for positioning tasks with the highest demands on precision because there is no undesirable interaction with the permanent magnets. This allows smooth running even at the lowest velocities and at the same time, there is no vibration at high velocities. Nonlinearity in control behavior is avoided and any position can be controlled easily. The drive force can be set freely.

Iron core motors are used when forces and accelerations need to be achieved in a limited installation space. The design with iron cores maximizes the magnetic forces and ensures high thermal stability of the drive.

PIMag®
PI develops proprietary magnetic motors if positioning systems need to achieve specific performance characteristics that cannot be reached by using drive components currently available on the market, for example, to achieve a high force density or a compact design. The motors developed by PI are identified by the PIMag® brand name.

Crossed roller guide
With crossed roller guides, the point contact of the balls in ball guides is replaced by line contact of the hardened rollers. Consequently, they are considerably stiffer and need less preload, which reduces friction and allows smoother running. Crossed roller guides are also distinguished by high guiding accuracy and load capacity. Force-guided rolling element cages prevent cage creep.

Direct position measuring
Position measuring is performed with the highest accuracy directly at the motion platform so that nonlinearity, mechanical play, or elastic deformation have no influence on position measuring.

Application fields
Industry and research. Measuring technology, photonics and precision scanning in semiconductor or medicine technology.

A-110 PIglide LC Linear Stages with Air Bearings

A-110 Air Bearing Linear Slides

(5)

L-505 Miniature Linear Stage / Linear Slide, Motorized

(18)

V-417 High-Speed, High Precision Linear Motor Translation Stages, Direct Drive

(7) Incremental or absolute linear encoder

Covering strip on the side for protection against particles

Reference-class linear stage
A new linear stage family with linear motors expands PI's product portfolio for industrial solutions. High-performance ironless linear motors, heavy-duty recirculating ball bearings, and precision linear encoders are used. The covering strip on the side and the purge air connection prevent contamination by particles.

Pioneering design
Compared to the competition, the recirculating ball bearings of the V-417 series offer a higher load capacity and allow higher dynamics. The high resolution of the encoders allows improved tracking performance, smaller tracking error, and improved settling times. For maximum flexibility, it is possible to choose between incremental and absolute encoders. Absolute encoders supply explicit position information that enables immediate determination of the position. This means that referencing is not required during switch-on, which increases efficiency and safety during operation.

Linear motors
Linear motors are electromagnetic direct drives. They dispense with mechanical components in the drivetrain and transfer the drive force directly and friction-free to the motion platform. The drives reach high velocities and accelerations. Ironless motors are particularly suitable for positioning tasks with the highest demands on precision because there is no undesirable interaction with the permanent magnets. This allows smooth running even at the lowest velocities and at the same time, there is no vibration at high velocities. Nonlinearity in control behavior is avoided and any position can be controlled easily. The drive force can be set freely.

Application fields
Laser cutting. Scanning. Digital printing. Electronics assembly and inspection. AOI (Automatic Optical Inspection). Automation. Flat screen manufacturing. Applications with high demands on dynamics, precision, smooth scan motion, short settling times, and low tracking error.

L-417 High-Load Linear Translation Stages / Precision Ball-Screw Slide

(7)

L-741 High Precision Motorized Linear XY-Tables

(6)

A-311 PIglide IS Planar Scanning Stages with Air Bearing

A-311 Planar Air Bearing XY-Table, Linear Scanning XY-Slides,

(5)

A-322 PIglide HS Planar Scanning Stages with Air Bearing

A-322 Planar, Integrated Granite, Air Bearing XY-Table for Scanning

(3) Ideal for scanning applications or high-precision positioning
Cleanroom compatible
Three performance classes: Base, Plus, and Ultra

PIglide reference-class XY positioning system
The PIglide HS planar scanner has magnetic linear motors, vacuum preload, and an absolute encoder: Contact- and friction-free motion for the highest accuracy and reliability.

The positioning system was designed to maximize the throughput and ensure the highest precision. Flexible coupling of the bridge axis to the gantry axis allows lateral decoupling without sacrificing the stiffness of the system.

The A-322 is coupled with industry-leading controllers and drive modules from ACS that offer superior servo performance, advanced control algorithms to improve dynamic performance and error compensation, and a wide suite of software development tools.

The A-322 series is a starting point for further adaptations. Critical core components such as linear motors, measuring systems, and air bearing assemblies have already been developed, tested, and have proven their capabilities. Depending on the application and requirements of the customer, a variant of the A-322 series forms the ideal starting point for a tailor-made, ultraprecise solution.

Absolute encoder
Absolute encoders supply explicit position information that enables immediate determination of the position. This means that referencing is not required during switch-on, which increases efficiency and safety during operation.

PIMag® magnetic direct drive
3-phase magnetic direct drives do not use mechanical components in the drivetrain, they transmit the drive force to the motion platform directly and without friction. The drives reach high velocities and accelerations. Ironless motors are particularly suitable for positioning tasks with the highest demands on precision because there is no undesirable interaction with the permanent magnets. This allows smooth running even at the lowest velocities and at the same time, there is no vibration at high velocities. Nonlinearity in control behavior is avoided and any position can be controlled easily. The drive force can be set freely.

Long lifetime, cleanroom compatible drag chains
The A-322 has high-quality, long-lasting ribbon cables and pneumatic hoses. Extensive research and development has resulted in an optimized cable management system that enables millions of maintenance-free cycles. Teflon coating ensures low particle formation.

Application fields
PIglide positioning systems are ideally suited for many high-precision applications, such as metrology, photonics, and precision scanning as well as in semiconductor or flat panel display manufacturing.

Thanks to the friction-free motion, no particles are formed, which makes PIglide stages ideal for cleanroom applications.

A-341 High Precision XY Gantry / XYZ-Gantry Stage, | Hybrid Bearings

Hybrid guide design with air bearings and recirculating ball bearing guides for high precision with low profile.

Hybrid design: Gantry axis with recirculating ball bearing guides, bridge axis with air bearing

Absolute encoder

High-performance ironless linear motors

Various travel ranges. Options and customized adaptations

Flexible modular platform

The A-341 PIglide HGS hybrid gantry system was developed for applications that require overhead motion and long travel ranges.
The A-341 hybrid gantry has a unique hybrid guide design. The bridge axis is equipped with a friction-free guide with air bearings that allow exact control of velocity as well as outstanding repeatability and straightness. The guide with air bearings considerably reduces particle emission over the workspace. The gantry axis is equipped with recirculating ball bearing guides on both sides for robustness and precision in limited installation space.
This combination of different guide technologies means that the A-341 hybrid gantry is ideally suited to applications that are based on the step-and-scan principle and at the same time, require a compact design.
The A-341 is coupled with industry-leading controllers and drive modules from ACS that offer superior servo performance, advanced control algorithms to improve dynamic performance and error compensation, and a wide suite of software development tools.

PIMag® magnetic direct drive
3-phase magnetic direct drives do not use mechanical components in the drivetrain, they transmit the drive force to the motion platform directly and without friction. The drives reach high velocities and accelerations. Ironless motors are particularly suitable for positioning tasks with the highest demands on precision because there is no undesirable interaction with the permanent magnets. This allows smooth running even at the lowest velocities and at the same time, there is no vibration at high velocities. Nonlinearity in control behavior is avoided and any position can be controlled easily. The drive force can be set freely.

Application fields
Scanning, Digital printing, Electronics assembly and inspection, AOI (Automatic Optical Inspection), Automation.

Absolute encoder
Absolute encoders supply explicit position information that enables immediate determination of the position. This means that referencing is not required during switch-on, which increases efficiency and safety during operation.

A-351 MGS Gantry Systems with Linear Motors

A-351 High Precision XY Gantry / XYZ Gantry System with Linear Motors, Mechanical Bearings

L-306 Miniature High Precision Vertical Linear Stage, Motorized

(3)

L-310 Precision Motorized Vertical Linear Stage / Z-Stage, Motorized

(4)

V-611 Compact Direct Drive, High Speed Precision Rotary Tables

(2)

A-62x PIglide RM Rotation Stages with Air Bearings

A-62x High Precision Air Bearing Rotary Table, Direct Drive Torque Motors

(6)

A-63x PIglide RL Flat Rotation Stages with Air Bearing

A-63x Low Profile, Air Bearing Rotary Tables, Direct Drive Torque Motors

(2)

U-651 Ultra-Low Profile Precision Rotary Table with Ultrasonic Piezo Motor

(4) Fast piline® direct drive and central opening

Positions larger loads quickly and with precision

Self-locking when switched off: Saves energy and reduces generation of heat

Central aperture for more fields of application

Precision-class rotation stage
PILine® stages are particularly suitable for applications that require fast precision positioning. When switched off, the self-locking drive holds the position of the stage mechanically stable. Energy consumption and heat generation are therefore considerably reduced. Applications with a low duty cycle that are battery-powered or heat-sensitive benefit from these characteristics. The position of the axis is measured by an encoder and an optical reference switch allows reliable repeatable motion. The piezomotor drive principle and its electrical operation are inexpensive and can be customized.

Highly accurate position measuring with incremental encoder
Noncontact optical encoders measure the position directly at the platform with the greatest accuracy. Nonlinearity, mechanical play, or elastic deformation have no influence on the measurement.

Fields of application
Micromanipulation, automation, biotechnology, sample manipulation, sample positioning, optical metrology, vacuum applications to 10-6 hPa (optional)

PILine® ultrasonic piezomotors
An integral part of a PILine® ultrasonic piezomotor is a piezo actuator that is preloaded against a movable, guided runner via a coupling element. The piezoceramic actuator is excited to ultrasonic oscillation by a high-frequency AC voltage between 100 and 200 kHz. Deformation of the actuator leads to periodic diagonal motion of the coupling element relative to the runner. The feed created is a few nanometers per cycle; the high frequencies lead to the high velocities. Preloading the piezoceramic actuator against the runner ensures self-locking of the drive when at rest and switched off.

Crossed roller guide
With crossed roller guides, the point contact of the balls in ball guides is replaced by line contact of the hardened rollers. Consequently, they are considerably stiffer and need less preload, which reduces friction and allows smoother running. Crossed roller guides are also distinguished by high guiding accuracy and load capacity. Force-guided rolling element cages prevent cage creep.

U-628 Miniature Precision Rotary Table, Piezo Motor

U-622 Ultra-Small Precision Rotary Table, Piezo Motor

WT-120 Motorized Precision Goniometer Cradle

(3)

WT-100 Motorized Precision Goniometer Cradle

(4)

V-855 Compact Motorized High-Speed Linear Modules, High Precision Linear Motors

(4)

V-817 Fast, High-Precision Motorized Linear Stages with 3-Phase Linear Motors

(4) Highly dynamic, maintenance-free linear motor and high precision incremental linear encoder

Robust industrial design for a long lifetime

Fast integration thanks to reference edge, easily XY stackable

Creation and delivery of test reports as a standard

Industrial design for high performance and high load
With the V-817, PI has a linear stage in its portfolio for industrial solutions that has a high load capacity and high dynamics. Its design is consistently geared to demanding industrial conditions and it is characterized by high stiffness and the use of high-quality components: Recirculating ball bearing guides, 3-phase linear motor, incremental linear encoder. The high resolution of the encoders allows an excellent tracking performance, small tracking errors, and short settling times. Industry-compatible connectors offer a fast and secure connectivity. The optional motion platform offers versatile assembly options with a triple M6 hole pattern. A particularly low overall height is achieved without this platform, which offers advantages especially in XY combinations.

Linear motor with direct drive
3-phase magnetic direct drives do not use mechanical components in the drivetrain, they transmit the drive force to the motion platform directly and without friction. The drives reach high velocities and accelerations. Ironless motors are particularly suitable for positioning tasks with the highest demands on precision because there is no undesirable interaction with the permanent magnets. This allows smooth running even at the lowest velocities and at the same time, there is no vibration at high velocities. Nonlinearity in control behavior is avoided and any position can be controlled easily. The drive force can be set freely.

Fully integrated multi-axis systems
The V-817 linear stages are perfectly suited for being integrated into complex systems. Therefore, PI offers integrated XY or XYZ multi-axis systems with the suitable controller as well as accessories such as a granite base, machine frame, mounting adapter, cable set, and appropriate software support. For requests regarding multi-axis systems, contact our sales department.

Application fields
Electronics assembly: Sensor and camera assembly. Noncontact inspection, X-ray inspection, and AOI (automated optical inspection). Sensor and ultrasonic tests. Semiconductor manufacturing: Wafer processing and inspection. Laser machining: Laser welding. Highly dynamic applications in precision automation, smooth scan motion, minimum tracking errors, and short settling times.