The new M3-LS-3.4-15 Linear Smart Stage from New Scale Technologies, Inc. is a direct-drive precision piezoelectric micro stage with embedded controller designed for integration into compact OEM instruments. The newest smart stage is a higher-force, longer-travel addition to the company’s M3-LS line of all-in-one micro stages with built-in controllers. The M3-LS-3.4-15 has a 100-gram capacity […]
Stages + gantries
Nexen intros Compact Ring Drive with built-in brake
The new patent-pending CRD 250B from Nexen Group, Inc. is an expansion of the company’s innovative Compact Ring Drive (CRD) system. The 250B includes a built-in zero backlash locking/brake design that delivers twice the nominal torque without increasing the CRD footprint. It is extraordinarily durable, with a brake life of 1 million cycles, and requires […]
20-in. travel and nanometer resolution with high dynamics from PI motorized linear stage
Precision positioning systems industry leader PI (Physik Instrumente) has released an elevated version of its ironless linear motor stage LMS-180, which is well-suited for precision automation applications in industry and research that require highly accurate linear motion over long travel with high load capacity. The LMS-180 linear stage family is available with five travel ranges […]
Larger work area for RP-Series dispensing robot from Dispense Works
Dispense Works Inc. now offers the RP Series robots with a 36 x 20-in. work area in a compact and space-saving benchtop. RP-Series robots — manufactured in the U.S. — are for adhesive and myriad other fluid-dispensing applications … as well as assembly using UV curing for mounting, tooling, fixturing, and more. These robots feature machine-tool […]
Positioning stages and gantries — new trends in integration approaches
There’s demand for motion designs offering simplicity or turnkey operation, so component suppliers are now doing much more integration for OEMs and plant engineers. Nowhere is this more evident than in the way today’s positioning stages, rotary tables, and gantry setups are built. “As part of this trend, we’re seeing more demand for our IntelLiGent […]
XYZ piezo stages from Aerotech use parallel kinematics for exceptional 3D positioning accuracy
New XYZ piezo stages from Aerotech have travels to 120 μm x 120 μm x 12 μm; 40 x 40 mm square clear aperture; and a parallel-kinematic design for unmatched geometric performance. Aerotech’s QNP3 series XYZ piezo positioning stages combine sub-nanometer resolution, high dynamics, and excellent geometric performance in a compact three-degree-of-freedom (DoF) package. They come […]
Festo expands planar gantry offering with two new, larger workspace models — EXCM-30 and EXCM-40
With the new, larger EXCM-30 and EXCM-40 models, the Festo EXCM family of planar gantries gain expanded workspaces and higher load capacities, but are still ideally used for plug-and-play subassemblies in assembly and handling systems and medical laboratory devices. The EXCM planar gantry family provides an optimum ratio between installation space and working space. EXCM […]
New rotary air bearing stages offer high precision in any orientation
The new A-62x PIglide series of rotary air bearing stages from PI (Physik Instrumente) have no rolling or sliding elements and deliver frictionless, non-contact motion, resulting in negligible reversal error, better straightness, wobble, eccentricity and velocity stability. These features are ideal prerequisites for high-end industrial applications such as inspection, metrology, calibration, and scanning. Air bearings […]
Festo showcases transformative flexible automation at Automate 2017
Festo showcases at Automate 2017 in Chicago (April 3 to 6) the Handling Guide Online — a new design tool that lowers engineering overhead and speeds delivery of flexible handling subassemblies. The company also introduces new Piezo proportional air valves for better control than traditional solenoid valves in many applications. These and other products, including a family of gantry-based handling […]
What are linear stepper motors?
Like most linear motors, a linear stepper motor is essentially a variation of the rotary design, cut radially and laid out flat. Similar to their rotary counterparts in operation and performance, linear stepper motors are typically run as open-loop systems and are capable of providing high resolution at high speeds and accelerations. The linear stepper motor almost exclusively […]