Linear Motion Tips provides news and information about linear guides, rotary stages, positioning stages and more. Below you will find a variety of articles about linear guides and related topics from industry professionals who are eager to share their knowledge and expertise. Stay up-to-date on the latest news and information about linear guides and more by subscribing to our RSS.

Linear Shaft Motor Stage Offers Nanoprecision

Radford, Va. - Nippon Pulse America’s new SCR100 stage is an ultra high precision, compact single axis stage that integrates a slide guide, encoder, and Linear Shaft Motor. It offers a wide range of advantages for ultra high performance and accuracy applications. The Linear Shaft Motor is a coreless direct drive linear motor which has zero cogging, allowing for higher resolution, speed, and continuous force than standard stepper motors and piezo servomotors. 

The SCR100 stage is a moving magnet design, which locates all cables and connectors in the stationary base. The absence of any moving cable means a clean and compact design and eliminates motion errors due to cable forces. The precision ground cross roller way provides high stiffness and smooth motion. Together they are capable of supporting higher torque levels due to offset loads with travels from 50mm to 300mm. The non-contact Linear Shaft Motor and optical linear encoders are self-contained inside the stage, making it a low-profile compact solution. The built-in non-contact optical linear encoder is available with resolutions from 1 micron to 10 nm with digital output. The sub-micron resolution results in a high accuracy stage, which is laser tested for optimum performance.

The SCR100 stage has the added benefit that any standard digital servo driver can drive the SCR100 stage. Any two SCR stages will bolt directly together to form a very stiff, compact X-Y stage. Two SCR stages can be supplied compounded as an X-Y stage to insure true orthogonal orientation.

www.nipponpulse.com

 

Aerotech’s AVS1000 series positioning stages offer precise elevation

Aerotech (www.aerotech.com) has introduced a new range of positioning stages suitable for applications where positioning of heavy or large loads over small incremental movements in elevation above a horizontal plane are required — the AVS1000 series stages. These stages offer low profile and precise motion capability making them ideal for use in automated tool alignment, semiconductor manufacturing and inspection, machine vision inspection systems and laser machining applications.

The AVS1000 series positioning stages can withstand large and heavy loads up to 135 kg, as it provide five nm resolution and up to ±1 μm accuracy. The stages also feature five mm of travel, which comes with custom designs, and optional cleanroom and electrostatic discharge protection.

With its moving-wedge design, the AVS1000 series offers precise elevation of a load found in a vertical plane. The horizontal movement from a precision-ground ball screw is converted by the precision machined wedge block into vertical elevation of Aerotech’s AVS1000 series tabletop. Excellent yaw and pitch characteristics over the length of travel reduces the impact of angular errors.

Sealed linear motion guide bearings with built-in wipers are incorporated to deliver long life, excellent payload capability, and smooth, precision motion. The stages guarantee stable and parallel vertical motion without rocking or horizontal deviation of the platform. The careful design of the bearing system and the wedge angle allows the stages to maintain a compact profile while providing submicron resolution.

The vertical lift approach of the stages serves as an alternative to Z-plane oriented stages. Aside from lowering the profile, the AVS1000 series stages can also conveniently access the load from any side, thanks to its large aperture.

PORTA-GANTRY RAPIDE 500 assembles in less than a minute

REID Lifting (www.reidlifting.com), world’s leading manufacturer of portable, lightweight lifting equipment for manual lifting applications, has announced the release of its latest portable gantry system.

The newest addition to the company’s PORTA-GANTRY portfolio, PORTA-GANTRY RAPIDE 500 has been developed in response to persistent customer demand. It is rated to WLL 500 kg and is capable of numerous configurations depending on the task. Using two pins, the PORTA-GANTRY RAPIDE 500 can be easily assembled by just one person.

The RAPIDE is made from aluminum alloys that have 20 percent greater tensile strength and are 70 percent lighter than mild steel. Thus, it is extremely light and portable. Specifically designed to be stowed in service vans, the new portable gantry system can be conveniently transported according to manual handling guidelines. Easy to assemble and flat-packable, the new RAPIDE is developed for speed and ease while retaining all the built-in safety that the company is known for.

“The PORTA-GANTRY RAPIDE 500 is a natural extension to the product range and is already proving very popular. Our mantra is ‘lightweight portable and safe’ — and this new product ticks all those boxes which are so vital to our customers,” said Nick Battersby, Managing Director at REID.

EN795-Class B certified, the PORTA-GANTRY RAPIDE 500 was manufactured in response to industries that require safe lifting solutions that can be deployed and transported easily, such as the water and wastewater industries.

MAG unveils new adjustable-rail U6 Series

MAG IAS (www.mag-ias.com), one of the leading machine tool and systems companies in the world, has launched its latest adjustable-rail U6 Series, which comes with a vertical W-axis that allows it to accommodate tall parts.

Providing a new dimension to the company’s portfolio of universal gantry mills, the U6 universal machining center is designed to enable five-axis contouring and machining with interchangeable heads to reduce machine downtime, set ups and part reorientations. Its robust construction makes it ideal for heavy, tough cuts in large parts of titanium, steel, crusty forgings or aluminum. The machine’s versatility offers greater throughput and efficiency in processing to “large part” manufacturers in energy, off-road and heavy equipment, aerospace, die-mould, mining and marine.

Available in rail-type and bridge-type platforms, the U6 can be configured with a huge cross rail (Y-axis) to a maximum of nine m (29.5 ft). To enhance the stiffness of the machine, its adjustable W-axis offers up to five m (16.4 ft) of vertical travel to support the Z-axis ram of up to 2.5 m (8.2 ft).

The design of the U6 enables the cross rail to be positioned near the part for machining with maximum stiffness and lesser ram extension for outstanding accuracy and is offered with a selection of one m, 1.5 m, two m, and 2.5 m rams.

The U6 also offers superior precision on major parts with repeatability of 0.008 mm (0.00031 in) in the Y and Z axes, 0.038 mm (0.0015 in) in the X axis, while the C axis comes with 14 arc second accuracy. To optimize efficiencies in processing on large part surfaces, the U6 provides feedrates of up to 20 m/min (787 ipm).

Large Aperture Lift Stage from Aerotech

Aerotech’s AVS1000 series stages offer the ideal solution for applications that require positioning of large or heavy loads over very small incremental movements in elevation above a horizontal plane. The low profile and precise motion capability make these stages ideal for use in semiconductor manufacturing and inspection, automated tool alignment, machine vision inspection systems, laser machining applications, and more.

Quality Design Provides Superior Performance
The AVS1000 series provides precise elevation of a load in a vertical plane using a moving-wedge design. The precision machined wedge block converts horizontal movement from a precision-ground ball screw into vertical elevation of the AVS1000 series tabletop. Excellent pitch and yaw characteristics over the length of travel minimize the impact of angular errors. AVS1000 performance includes exceptional resolution (5 nm) and accuracy (±1 µm), with the ability to apply this performance to large loads up to 135 kg.

Sealed linear motion guide bearings with integral wipers are incorporated to provide excellent payload capability, long life, and smooth, precision motion. Stable and parallel vertical motion with no rocking or horizontal deviation of the platform is assured. Careful design of the wedge angle and bearing system allows the AVS1000 series to achieve submicron resolution and still maintain a compact profile.

A Better Approach to Vertical Motion
The vertical lift approach offers an alternative to traditional Z-plane oriented stages. Not only do the AVS1000 series stages offer a lower profile, but the load can also be conveniently accessed from any side due to the large aperture. And by centering the payload over the bearings, there are no cantilevering effects.

Motor and Drives
The AVS1000 series includes Aerotech’s high performance NEMA 34 frame-size BMS series brushless, slotless servomotor. The slotless motor has zero cogging and therefore is optimized for applications requiring very smooth motion.

Aerotech
http://www.aerotech.com/products/liftstages/avs1000.html

ESAB unveils COMBIREX DX Plasma

ESAB Cutting Systems (www.esabcutting.com) has unveiled a sturdy gantry for plasma and oxy-fuel cutting that features a high-stiffness beam design patterned on larger gantry machines, the COMBIREX DX Shape Cutting Machine.

Just like its larger cousins, the COMBIREX DX offers similar precision rack & pinion drives and precision linear rail, providing outstanding reliability and performance for small to medium fabrication manufacturers and shop.

Specifically developed for low maintenance requirements and long service life, the COMBIREX DX comes with heavy duty gearboxes and digital AC drives. The robust gantry can be equipped with a maximum of four stations that includes one plasma station, which features ESAB’s m3 Precision Plasmarc system. This system enables the COMBIREX DX to mark and cut with the same plasma torch.

For a strong foundation and easy installation on concrete floors, the three-axis gantry provides all-steel construction that features machine mating rides and surfaces on triple-machined T-rails, which are mounted on H-beam rail supports. The machine delivers speed of up to 1,000 ipm (25,000 mm/min), working lengths of up to 59 ft (18 m) and cutting widths between five ft and 10 ft (1.5 m to three m).

The COMBIREX DX is offered with a selection of 360, 200 or 450 Amp m3 plasma systems. Featuring CNC-controlled output current for enhanced starting and longer consumable life, each of the rugged power supplies also delivers 100 percent duty cycle. The system has the ability to cut aluminum and stainless steel up to 1.75 inches thick or carbon steel up to 2.5 inches thick, depending on the configuration.

The ESAB’s Vision CNC is offered as one of the standard equipment of the COMBIREX DX.

Gold Plated Voice Coil Linear Position Stage

H2W’s custom gold plated, Voice Coil Linear Positioning Stage (VCS10-023-BS-01-MCS-R) was designed for a laser beam steering application. It has a stroke length of 1.0 in. (25 mm), a continuous force of 2 lbs (8.9 N) and a peak force of 6 lbs (26.7 N) and has a payload capacity of 2 lbs (.91 Kg) and a positioning resolution of 1 micron. It is ideal for short stroke closed loop positioning applications where intricate position, velocity, and acceleration control is necessary. Its compact size (3.75 in. long x 4.375 in. wide x 3.52 in. high) allows it to fit into small spaces. The stage has a very low electrical and mechanical time constant. The low moving mass allows for high accelerations of light payloads. The iron-less core coil assembly has no magnetic attractive force to the stationary magnet assembly, which reduces the load on the bearing system, which increases the life of the bearing. There are no magnetic drag forces (hysteresis), which allows for higher accelerations. These actuators are wound in such a way that no commutation is required for motion to occur. Electrical devices such as Hall Effects are not necessary. The result is a much simpler and more reliable system.

H2W Technologies
www.h2wtech.com

OPTEK 3-Axis Transport Systems provide staging solutions for OEMs

Operations Technology (www.optek.net), a leading manufacturer of precision metrology systems, has unveiled a new range of fast, accurate three-axis staging/transport systems that offers superior design features ideal for a vast array of OEM applications.

OPTEK Transport Systems are designed with bearing ways and granite bases. Driven by linear motors, the transport systems do not generate heat and are close-looped to one-tenth micron linear scales which are bonded together with granite X and Y axes.

With a maximum transport speed of 30 inches per second, repeatability that is more than three microns and accuracy that is greater than four microns, OPTEK transport systems offer the most accurate, fastest transport solution in the industry. The system also comes with a center drive in all axes, which requires no separate (slave) scale and reduces asymmetric thrust. For optimal stability, the transport systems offer split-axis operation.

To create a friction-free operation that is impressively quite and smooth, even at high speeds, the systems offers Y-axis table and X-axis carriage that “float” on air bearings. This kind of configuration allows installation in clean room environments since it requires no lubrication.

“Our systems are 100% documented in 3D CAD solids, allowing easy configuration changes for customer applications,” said OPTEK President Rich Amon.

“In addition,” he continued, “with on-site CNC machining, painting and assembly operations, all systems are fabricated in the USA under one roof, making them a surprisingly affordable solution for OEM’s.”

Heason releases new MMG-AL linear motor driven positioning stage

Heason Technology (http://www.heason.com) has introduced an all-new high throughput version of the Mini-MAG linear motor driven positioning stage from distribution partner Dover Inc. (www.dovercorporation.com).

While the new, ultra-compact MMG-AL still incorporates the main design and dimensional characteristics of the range, it replaces the stainless steel base and top plate with an optional single phase linear motor and simplified high grade aluminum construction. When combined, this results in minimized moving mass with the added benefit of lowered stage and drive amplifier costs, as well as higher bandwidth performance.

The small footprint stage comes in four travel options from 25mm to 150mm. It has a nominal width of 80mm and features Dover’s MAG moving magnet motor technology, which does away with the need for moving motor cables. It also features a durable side mounted tape style optical encoder, which comes in a selection of positional resolution from 0.1 microns to 0.005 microns. With stage flatness and straightness across the new MMG-AL range from 4 microns to 8 microns, and with specified bidirectional repeatability to within +/- 0.5 microns, the 25mm travel version’s positional accuracy is 3 microns with a 0.1 micron encoder.

The MMG-AL range has less than two-thirds of the mass of its stainless steel counterpart and 8kg nominal load capacity with an optional higher load capacity. The positioning stage can meet the dynamic performance needed for the most demanding high precision production systems, thanks to its maximum acceleration of 22m/sec2 and velocity of 0.5msec. The stage caters to the need of high throughput imaging industries, as well as ideal for any precision position application, where in-position stability and step-and-settle times are the main requirements.

Physik introduces M-687 microscopy stages

Physik Instrumente (www.physikinstrumente.com) has released the M-687 XY stage, which provides fast, high-precision XY positioning system ideal for applications that use inverse microscopes. The stage is designed with large apertures of up to 160 mm x 100 mm, which can support specimen holders and Z systems for specimen scanning. It can achieve a travel range of up to 100 mm x 75 mm.

Unlike DC motors or flanges stepper with large screw ducts, the M-687 XY requires no additional installation space for its driver since the PILine piezoceramic linear motor is already integrated inside the stage. This feature allows easy integration of the stage in the microscope providing unhindered access to the specimen. The PILine motors keep the platform’s position stable by transmitting force directly to it while moving. By doing so, the motors do not produce additional heat.

PI’s stages closed-loop velocities can reach up to 250 mm/s. M-687’s settling behavior has been optimized to allow settling within a few milliseconds. Meanwhile, PI also acknowledges that slow movements are of great importance to users. Thus, the stage is specifically designed with 1000-fold magnification, which enables the microscope to cover movements even at a distance of a few micrometers per second.

Using a PILine drive together with a high-resolution position sensor produces high precision, still stage specifically designed to repeatedly reach positions with sub-micron accuracy. This is useful for imaging methods required for large specimen such as stitching and tiling.

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