• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Linear Motion Tips

Covering Linear Motion Systems, Components and Linear Motion Resources

  • New
    • Editor’s blog
    • Industry news
    • Motion Casebook
    • Video
  • Applications
  • Slides + guides
    • Ball + roller guides
    • Track roller (cam + wheel) guides
    • Crossed-roller slides
    • Linear bearings
    • Plastic + composite guides
  • Drives
    • Ball + lead + roller screws
    • Belt + chain drives for linear
    • Rack + pinion sets
  • Actuators
    • Ball + leadscrew driven
    • Belt + chain driven
    • Linear motors
    • Mini + piezo + voice coil
    • Rack + pinion driven
    • Rigid-chain actuators
  • Encoders + sensors (linear) + I/O
  • Stages + gantries
  • Suppliers

Fast, compact micro-positioning stages powered by ultrasonic motors

December 8, 2017 By Miles Budimir Leave a Comment

A new family of compact linear and rotary stages from PI (Physik Instrumente) is driven by ceramic direct-drive motors. The patented ultrasonic motors provide smooth motion with high resolution and a high dynamic range. The self-clamping motor principle locks the stage into place, devoid of creep, once a target position has been reached. This intrinsic brake-like behavior comes at no extra cost, and provides advantages that are not available with classical electro-magnetic drive technologies.

Two linear stages with 18 mm and 22 mm travel are available, as well as an XY stage with 22 x 22 mm travel. Several encoder options, from 0.4 µm to 10 nm, are standard. All stages achieve closed-loop peak velocities to 200 mm/sec. The rotary stages come with turn-table diameters from 20 to 50 mm, encoder resolution down to 17 µrad, and maximum velocity of 720 degrees/sec. stages

The low-inertia direct drive, with no gears and other mechanical components to convert motion, allows for a dynamic start-stop behavior with settling times in the millisecond range. Based on the ultrasonic principle with drive frequencies greater than 100 kHz – well beyond the human hearing range – the motors are silent. Displacement is generated in continuous sub-nanometric increments, leading to extremely smooth motion with a wide dynamic range.

Linear and rotary stages can be combined to form multi-axis combinations. Due to the high efficiency of the ultrasonic motors, the miniature stages can be integrated into mobile measuring and medical devices. Typical applications include medical devices, optical instrumentation, photonics alignment, and microscopy.

For more information, visit www.pi-usa.us.

 

Filed Under: Integrated Linear Systems, Stages + gantries

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

DESIGN GUIDE LIBRARY

“motion
Subscribe Today

RSS Featured White Papers

  • Evaluating actuators for washdown in food & beverage applications
  • Identifying Best-Value Linear Motion Technologies
  • Introduction to accuracy and repeatability in linear motion systems

RSS Motion Control Tips

  • Bush and shaft assemblies feature 4-micron clearance
  • New gearboxes for electric motors in mobile machines
  • Leading motion-control and actuation options for robotics
  • Basics of wave and cycloidal gearing for robotics and servo designs
  • New micro servo-drive system for extra-low-voltage manufacturing applications

Footer

Linear Motion Tips

Design World Network

Design World Online
The Robot Report
Coupling Tips
Motion Control Tips
Bearing Tips
Fastener Engineering

Linear Motion Tips

Subscribe to our newsletter
Advertise with us
Contact us
About us

Follow us on TwitterAdd us on FacebookAdd us on LinkedInAdd us on YouTubeAdd us on Instagram

Copyright © 2022 · WTWH Media LLC and its licensors. All rights reserved.
The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media.

Privacy Policy