- OEM / SystemsOEM Systems | Precision Components | Automation Sub-SystemsPI offers 1000’s of proven, off-the-shelf precision motion products that can be quickly modified for the OEM or into a custom automation sub-system.
- Meeting the Demands of OEMsOEM Systems | Precision Components | Automation Sub-SystemsPI has a long track record of working with OEMs in the most demanding industries from Semiconductor Technology to Medical Design – industries where product performance, quality, and the ability to ramp up quickly are not the only parameters required to satisfy the customer's demands. Working with technology leaders all around the world forces you to continuously improve your yield, process, and product performance. And unless your quality is outstanding, you cannot become a key supplier to major US, European, and Japanese companies in the Optics, Photonics, Semiconductor, and Automotive industry.
- Engineered Motion / Automation Sub-SystemsPrecision Automation Solutions | Engineered SystemsPI is a supplier of high-end precision motion systems and makes use of own drive components and high-precision positioners to build customized positioning and automation sub-systems —“motion engines”—for our customers. With the largest portfolio of precision motion technologies in the industry, PI engineers have the best foundation to find a solution that matches your requirements in terms of precision, quality and budget – in a timeframe that works for you.
- Meeting the Demands of OEMs
- ProductsPrecision Motion Technologies | Positioning SystemsOverview of the Broadest & Deepest Portfolio of Precision Motion and Automation Technologies from Piezo to Air Bearings and Linear Motors
- Products: Overview, New, Finder, ShopFind Precision Positioning Solutions Quickly - Product Finder | PI USAWith thousands of standard products and customization available, PI has the motion control positioning product solution for your application.
- Products OverviewProducts OverviewOverview of the Broadest & Deepest Portfolio of Precision Motion and Automation Technologies from Piezo to Air Bearings and Linear Motors
- New ProductsNew Motion Control & Precision Positioning Products | PI USALearn about the latest innovations in motion control and nanopositioning components and systems.
- Product FinderUse the PI Product Finder - it's fast and easy!Select the product type specified by the axes of motion required. Selection of more criteria expands or shortens the list of results. Select more than one filter at at time, for example, to find positioning stages designed for higher load capacity, too.
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- Air Bearings & Ultra High Precision StagesAir Bearing Stages | Motorized | Linear | RotaryAir bearings provide advantages over mechanical bearings when vibration-free motion is required, highly constant velocity control is crucial, and when angular repeatability and geometric performance must be optimal. Air bearing stages (linear, rotary, and spherical) replace mechanical contact by a thin air film, avoiding wear, friction, vibration, and hysteresis effects.
- Miniature Positioning StagesMiniature Positioning Stages | Supplier | ManufacturerCompact positioning stages are crucial for the miniaturization process in cutting-edge research and industrial applications, for test & measurement, optical and opto-mechanical alignment, and component assembly. PI provides the largest portfolio of miniature stages, including high-speed linear motor stages, economical stepper motor units, and ultra-compact piezo motor positioners.
- Motorized Stages: Linear, Rotary, XYMotorized Stages | Positioning | ManufacturerPI offers the broadest and deepest range of precision motion technologies for micro and nano precision applications. Our engineers work with our customers to find the best drive and bearing technology for each individual application. Having access to multiple drive and positioning technologies allows an open discussion with a better outcome for the customer.
- Overview - Motorized Linear/Rotary StagesOverview - Motorized Linear/Rotary Stages
- Linear StagesLinear Stages - Precision Positioning Solutions | PI USASeveral types of motorized precision linear translation stages | PI USA
- Fast Linear Motor Stages and ActuatorsOverview: Linear Stage, Linear Motor Driven, Fast Brushless Motor Positioning Stages | PI USABrushless linear motor-driven stages provide high speed, precision and long life.
- Z-Stages (Vertical Motion)Vertical Linear Stages – Precision Motorized Z-Positioners | PI USA
- XY StagesXY Stages – 2-Axis Motorized Precision Positioning Stages | PI USASeveral types of planar XY stages: Direct-driven stages, ball-screw stages and air bearing planar XY stages
- XYZ StagesXYZ Stage - Multi-Axis Precision Motorized Stages
- Rotary Stages / GoniometersPrecision Rotation Stage, High Resolution Rotary Positioners, Rotation Tables, Goniometers, by PI USASeveral types of motorized rotation stages: Direct-driven stages, ball-bearing stages and air bearing stages
- Heavy Duty Stages / Industrial AutomationHigh Speed / Performance Positioning Stages for Automation - Linear Stages | Rotary Stages | PI USAHigh performance motorized stages, designed for heavy duty applications in industrial precison automation.
- Sub-Systems for AutomationSYS > Engineered Motion/Automation Sub-SystemsThe PI group employs over 1,200 people in 15 countries and runs engineering and manufacturing centers on 3 continents. Select from the broadest portfolio of precision motion technologies, including piezoelectric and air bearing systems, with 1,000’s of standard products or have our engineers provide you with a custom solution.
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- Linear ActuatorsActuators | Precision | Linear | Actuator SystemA precision linear actuator is a positioning device that provides motion in 1 degree of freedom. PI designs and manufactures a variety of precision linear actuators (pushers) including economical stepper-motor driven actuators, high-speed linear motor types for automation and nanometer precise piezo-motor actuators.
- Gantries / Cartesian RobotsGantry Stages | Gantries | Cartesian RobotA gantry precision positioning stage is sometimes called a linear robot or Cartesian robot. Gantries typically provide motion in 2 or 3 linear degrees of freedom (X-Y and X-Y-Z) and are often used for pick and place applications, 3D printing or laser machining, and welding applications.
- 6-Axis Hexapods / Parallel PositionersHexapod Positioner | Six DOF | Stewart PlatformsHexapod positioners are often referred to as Stewart Platforms. A hexapod is based on a 6-axis (XYZ, Pitch, Roll, Yaw) actuator system arranged in parallel between a top and bottom platform. PI parallel kinematics (PKM) precision positioning systems have many advantages over serial kinematics stages, such as lower inertia, improved dynamics, smaller package size and higher stiffness. In addition hexapods are more flexible than conventional 6 axis positioners.
- 6-Axis Hexapods / Parallel Positioners6-Axis Hexapods / Parallel Positioners
- Control of Hexapod / Stewart Platforms: Hexapod Motion Controllers & Simulation Software6DOF Motion Platforms | Hexapod Controllers & Simulation Software | Stewart Platform | ManufacturerControllers, software and accessories for Hexapod Stewart platforms and parallel kinematic motion systems | PI USA
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- Piezo Flexure Nanopositioning StagesNanometer Precision: Piezo Stages for Nanopositioning, Piezo Nanopositioners, Piezo Flexure Scanning Stages | PI USAPI offers the broadest and deepest portfolio of nanometer precision motion technologies, from piezo-driven nanopositioning and scanning stages to motorized 6-axis hexapod positioning systems.
- Overview - Piezo Flexure StagesOverview - Piezo Flexure Stages
- Linear Piezo Flexure StagesLinear Piezo Stages for Nanopositioning – Flexure-Guided Precision NanoPositioners | PI USALargest selection of frictionless, high performance piezo-stack-driven flexure linear nanopositioning stages | PI USA
- Vertical & Tip/Tilt Piezo StagesPiezo Z-Stage, Piezo Z-Tip-Tilt Platform. Flexure Guided Nanopositioning Stages| PI USALarge selection of Piezo Z-Stages and Tip/Tilt scanners with nanometer precision | PI USA
- Fast Steering Mirrors & Tip/Tilt PlatformsPiezo Steering Mirrors | Active Optics
- Nanofocus Lens ScannersFast Piezo Focus Lens Positioners and Scanners – Piezo Flexure Guided Precision Positioners | PI USALargest Selection of Nano-Focus drives for microscope lenses – flexure-guided precision positioners
- XY Piezo Flexure StagesPiezo Stages | XY | Nanopositioning StagesLargest selection of integrated XY piezo flexure stages with nanometer precision.
- XYZ Piezo Flexure StagesXYZ Piezo Nanopositioning Stages – Flexure Guided 3-Axis Precision Positioners | PI USALargest selection of integrated XYZ piezo flexure stages with nanometer precision.
- 6-Axis Piezo Flexure Stages6-Axis Piezo Nanopositioning Stages – Flexure Guided Precision Positioners | PI USAPiezo-driven fast steering mirrors (FSM) achieve nanoradian resolution and high bandwidth.
- Tutorial - Piezo NanopositioningNanometer Precision: Nanopositioning Basics Tutorial. Piezo Nanopositioners, Scanning Stages, Flexure Guided Positioners | PI USAThere are several ways to achieve nanometer precision motion. The best positioning systems avoid friction all together, in both the drive system (motor) and in the guiding system (bearings). Frictionless bearings also avoid the bearing rumble caused by balls and rollers and provide vibration-free motion with highly constant velocity.
- Overview - Piezo Flexure Stages
- Piezo Motors: Stages & ActuatorsPiezo Motors | Linear Motor Positioners | ManufacturerPiezo Motors are intrinsically vacuum compatible, non-magnetic and self locking at rest, providing long travel compared to traditional piezo mechanisms. The individual drive concepts are optimized for different applications, they differ in their design, size, cost, force & speed and other performance parameters.
- Overview - Piezo Motors (Stages/Actuators)Overview - Piezo Motors (Stages/Actuators)
- Actuators with Piezo MotorsCompact precision linear actuators stages with several types of piezo motor drives – ultrasonic, stick-slip, piezo-walk, piezo-ratchet. | PI USA
- Linear Stages with Piezo MotorsPrecision linear stages with several types of piezo motor drives – ultrasonic, stick-slip, piezo-walk, piezo-ratchet. | PI USA
- XY Stages with Piezo MotorsXY piezo motor linear stages with several types of precision piezo motor drives – ultrasonic, stick-slip, piezo-walk | PI USA
- XY Piezo Flexure StagesXY Piezo Flexure StagesHigh-precision 2-axis nanopositioning systems integrate PICMA® piezo actuators for maximum reliability. Repeatable, drift-free positioning with optimal stability is possible by the use of high-quality nanometrology sensors.
- Rotary Stages with Piezo MotorsRotary piezo motor stages with several types of precision piezo motors– ultrasonic, stick-slip (inertia), | PI USA
- Tutorial - Piezo Motion ControlWhy All Piezo Motors are NOT Created Equal: The piezoelectric effect for precision motion control - PI Physik Instrumente.The demand for higher speed and/or precision in fields such as bio-nanotechnology, semiconductors, metrology, data comm, and photonics keep pushing manufacturers to come up with innovative drive technologies.
- Overview - Piezo Motors (Stages/Actuators)
- Piezo Transducers & ActuatorsPiezo Actuator | Piezo Transducer | ManufacturerPiezoelectric translators (transducers) are precision ceramic actuators which convert electrical energy directly into linear motion with high speed, force and virtually unlimited resolution. These actuators are used in every modern high tech field from semiconductor test & inspection to super-resolution microscopy, bio-nanotechnology and astronomy/aerospace technology.
- Piezo Actuators & Transducers: Stacks, Chips, Benders, Tubes, Spheres, Shear…Piezo Actuators & Transducers: Stacks, Chips, Benders, Tubes, Spheres, Shear…
- Value-Added Piezo Transducers & Piezo AssembliesValue Added Piezo Assemblies: Transducers, Actuators, Sensors, Manufactured by PI CeramicDeveloping and manufacturing piezo ceramic materials and components are complex processes. PI Ceramic - PI’s piezo material design and manufacturing facility - boasts several decades of experience as well as the right tools for rapid prototyping of custom engineered piezo components and assemblies. From the formulation of advanced piezo materials to the processing steps such as cutting, milling, grinding, and the precision assembly, every stage is controlled by our engineers and product specialists.
- Piezo Ceramic ComponentsPiezo Ceramic Components
- Piezo Actuators & Transducers: Stacks, Chips, Benders, Tubes, Spheres, Shear…
- Microscopy, Bio-Imaging, Life SciencesHigh Precision Microscope Stages, Piezo Lens Scanners, Tools for Bio-Imaging | PI-USAPiezo nano-positioning stages are essential tools for high-resolution microscopy, such as Super Resolution Microscopy or AFM. Their sub-atomic resolution and extremely fast response allow researchers to create higher-quality images faster. PI provides a large variety of fast Z-Stages and collar piezo objective positioners for 3D imaging (Z-stack acquisition), deconvolution, and fast focusing applications.
- Stages for Microscopy & Bio-ImagingStages for Microscopy & Bio-Imaging
- Applications: Life Sciences / MedicalPrecision motion control for medical engineering and life sciences applications | PI USA
- Stages for Microscopy & Bio-Imaging
- Photonics Alignment SolutionsActive Photonics Alignment | Optics Alignment | SolutionsPI provides a variety of innovative fiber alignment systems from motorized fiber positioners to automated optic and photonic alignment such as used in telecommunication, data commumication and for packaging / automation. In addition to fiber-based applications, fast steering systems for free-space-optical communication are also available. Products range from motorized 6D micromotion alignment systems for industrial photonics automation, through ultra-fast piezoelectric scanning & alignment modules to modular devices with manual control for laboratory test setups. All motorized systems come with extensive software for easy setup and integration.
- Vacuum Positioning Stages & ActuatorsVacuum / UHV Compatible Stages - Linear & Rotary Positioners for Vacuum, Wide Temperature Ranges | PI USAPI miCos has extensive experience in the design and manufacturing of vacuum and high vacuum compatible precision optomechanical positioning equipment for low temperature and wide temperature ranges. We provide translation stages, vertical linear stages, rotation stages, XY stages and complex multi-axis positioning systems in vacuum spec.
- VacuumProduct Series with Vacuum-Ready ItemsPI offers specific catalogue items for selected product series that are already suitable for high vacuum (HV) or ultra-high vacuum (UHV).
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- Controllers, Drivers, Motion SoftwareMotion Controllers, Piezo Drivers-High Voltage Amplifiers, and Motion Software Overview | PI USA
- Overview - Controllers & Motion SoftwareOverview - Controllers & Motion Software
- Piezo Controller, Driver, Nanopositioning Controller, High-Voltage Amplifier, Piezo Power Supply by PI USAPiezo Drivers | Piezo Motion Controllers | ManufacturerA piezo controller or driver is used to control the motion of a piezo positioning device. There are open and closed loop controllers. Open-loop controllers are often referred to as piezo driver or even piezo power supply. Closed-loop controllers are divided in two basic types: analog-servo and digital servo controllers.
- Controllers/Drivers for Motorized StagesMotion Controller | Drivers | Positioning SystemsPI provides a large variety of hardware & software solutions for high precision motion control. Our portfolio spans from integrated compact single axis servo controllers / drivers, such as popular Mercury-class motion controllers, to complex multi-axis systems for parallel-kinematics positioners, such as hexapods.
- ACS Motion ControlACS Motion Control for Industrial AutomationWe recommend the controllers of our partner, ACS Motion Control especially for automation with industrial standards. Ask us about your integrated solution!
- Software - Motion Control SoftwareMotion Control Software | Software Tools | Positioning SolutionsFor LabView, C++, VB, Matlab, Image Acquisitiong Packages, NI DAC Cards, ..... PI provides high-level, robust, easy-to-use software tools for fast, seamless integration of motion systems into application control software.
- Overview - Controllers & Motion Software
- Capacitive SensorsNanometer Resolution: Capacitance Sensors for Nano-Measuring, Nano-Metrology | PIA capacitive sensor is a proximity sensor that detects nearby objects by their effect on the electrical field created by the sensor.
- Accessories: Plates, Brackets, CablesAdapters and Cables for PI Precision Motion ComponentsStandardization is common with adapter plates and brackets, but we can create a custom accessory to fit your application system. PI products ship with the required cables. Customization is always an option.
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- Tech BlogPI Blog / Tech Articles on Advancements in Precision Motion Control, Automation and Piezo Technology | PI USAPI’s tech blog offers 50 years of insight into innovative applications of precision motion control, nanopositioning, and micropositioning in industry, science, and research. We hope the PI blog is an enjoyable and informative resource, and a starting-point for innovation across disciplines.
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Q&A with Dr. Harry Marth, Head of Piezo Technology Innovation, and Dr. Mathias Bach, Head of Piezo Systems at Physik Instrumente (PI), Karlsruhe, Germany.
Concentrated piezo tech know-how: PI’s Dr. Harry Marth Head of Piezo Technology Innovation (left), and Dr. Mathias Bach, Head of Piezo Systems (right) Most people would be looking forward to retirement after a successful career of 45 years. But Dr. Harry Marth is not like most people. Instead, he is most likely the world’s foremost expert on advanced piezo nanopositioning technologies. You would never know, meeting him casually, because despite all his achievements over several decades with PI, he has remained humble. And while he was recently able to drop most of his operational work load, he is looking forward to shifting his focus even tighter to the research side of business. Still closer to the beginning of his career, Dr. Mathias Bach heads PI’s Piezo Systems Group and is tasked with finding new application fields, as well as moving piezo devices into the IoT era.
Q: You have been driving the development of piezo precision systems forward since 1972 – 45 years of service for a still somewhat exotic technology. After starting out in the scientific community and moving into industrial R&D, 35 years ago, have you concluded your research?
Focused on applied research: Piezo technology expert Harry Marth Dr. Marth: No. There’s always something new to find out about the piezo effect and its value for advancing technology, but recently the progress in materials has been showing some limitations. However, we are working on combining piezo actuator technology with other drive technologies, looking for new applications, and continually improving the performance of piezo nanopositioning systems by advancing digital control algorithms and drive electronics.
Q: New applications – The currently booming semiconductor industry is your most important business sector…
Dr. Bach: Correct, the semiconductor industry is very important for us as a piezo nanopositioning system supplier and keeps supplying new applications from the front end to the back end of the technology. Silicon Photonics (SiP), for example, is barely past its teething stage and requires extremely fast alignment mechanisms with nanometer range accuracy. Outside of the semiconductor sector, the machine tool and printing industries also use piezo motion systems to compensate for vibrations and increase production speed.
90% of these can only be manufactured because PI’s piezo nanopositioning technology helps to advance semiconductor manufacturing processes Q: How did you get to where the company is today?
Dr. Marth: Well, currently around 90% of all smartphones are manufactured with semiconductor processes that rely on our technology. We have grown together with the semiconductor and photonics sector and nowadays our technology is represented in a large number of applications. In the beginning, few other industries required the type of precision we achieve with our piezo systems, certainly not the automotive industry. Starting in the 1980s, the semiconductor industry began pushing us to develop motion systems with nanometer resolution.
Q: Which you wanted to sell?
Dr. Marth: Sure, but it wasn’t that simple. In that day, nobody in the semiconductor industry had any experience with piezo technology. That’s the reason why we decided to develop complete piezo motion solutions for the market. In a nutshell, we offer an integrated system, including the feedback sensors, guiding system, control algorithms, drive electronics and software, all out of one hand.
A six axis ultra-precision piezo stage for next generation AFM/surface metrology. Applications include CD critical dimension (smallest reproducible structures) measurements in the semiconductor industry. Learn more Q: What about the ceramics?
Dr. Bach: We started our own piezo ceramic manufacturing division almost 3 decades ago. That is an important competitive advantage because we can exercise influence on the ceramic material, do the research, and adapt to customer requirements. Actuator-type piezo ceramics continues to be a very small niche market for large industrial ceramics manufacturers and it is a market difficult to serve. Our piezo ceramic actuators and motors are cultivated especially for applications with precision positioning tasks and need to deliver bulletproof reliability and extremely long lifetime.
Much of PI’s piezo reliability relies on these: Know-how and state-of-the-art equipment for in-house piezo manufacturing at PI Ceramic. PI piezo actuators have literarily shown out-of-this-world reliability in an application on the Mars rover Learn more Q: You have been building up your piezo ceramic materials expertise since the 1990s – what does that mean for the industry?
Dr. Marth: Over the decades, we have learned how piezo ceramics behave and how to fine-tune the ingredients. That is our wealth of data that we use for modeling the piezo lifetime and the motion characteristics. Other precision motion providers must take whatever ceramics they can find on the market and that often means limitations on performance and lifetime. Talking about lifetime – there’s no place for production downtimes in the semiconductor industry. As a precaution, companies are more inclined to change components beforehand in order to prevent a shut-down. That does not always make economic sense. We are able to reliably assess the performance of a piezo ceramic actuator.
A non-magnetic, UHV compatible piezo motor driven mini hexapod. Many processes in the semiconductor industry require nanometer precision motion in multiple degrees of freedom. PI’s NEXLINE® piezo motor technology won the Semi Technology Innovation Showcase Award in 2005. Learn more Q: Is that the reason for digitizing the piezo?
Dr. Bach: Yes, each piezo will soon have its own IP address (laughs) – even in a vacuum. Seriously though: The piezo ceramics reacts to temperature, humidity and air pressure, like any other drive system. We want to record and analyze these environmental influences to further improve our lifetime models or even perform remote maintenance. We basically need a weather station for each piezo so to speak, but it has to be miniscule in size to be integrated, because a decisive advantage is the small installation space our technology requires.
Reaching for the stars, history and future: A piezo-driven active mirror platform from the 90’s for astronomical telescopes on top of a 6 DOF hexapod. It improves the effective optical resolution of earthbound telescopes by taking the twinkle out of the stars. Many of the world’s most powerful telescopes use PI technology to improve their performance. PI recently won a contract to provide thousands of special hybrid piezo / servo motor actuators for the largest optical telescope in the world. Learn more Q: Is it not already too late for that? Servo motors or magnetic direct drives will soon be able to do that.
Dr. Marth: It’s not too late. The piezo effect is more complex than traditional drive technologies and requires more control knowledge and sensor technology. We have data from customer surveys and we are responding to them.
Q: You will need to get into the user interfaces of machines, comply with or create standards for communication – are your piezo experts able to do this?
Dr. Bach: We need system architects. Our colleagues must be proficient in piezo technology, have knowledge of cabling and contacting, control and software, flow charts and communication – it’s difficult to find these types of experts, so I have to agree with you on that. But we do have one advantage: Our engineers work very closely with our customers from the start of each project – this puts us in a position to cooperate on the definition of the communication requirements and find a solution.
PI has been supporting the machine tool industry for decades. Early design of a custom piezo XY nanopositioning tool for precision turning applications. Learn more Q: And what about the traditional machining industry – what do you tell their engineers at the upcoming trade fairs?
Dr. Marth: Even traditional machining engineers want work to with more precision and they are intrigued by our technology. We see applications for piezo systems in cutting and grinding. We also combine classical drive systems or hexapod parallel kinematics machines with piezo motion to provide more options. In the past, some customers were under the impression “PI” was short for “Piezo Instruments” – but that’s not true. We engineer precision. At Physik Instrumente, the customer can chose from air bearings, magnetic direct drives, motor screw drives, hexapods, and, of course, a large variety of piezo motors and positioning systems.
Q: Ceramics in a machine tool – what is the acceptance?
Dr. Bach: We still need to further educate parts of that industry. Ceramics are more sensitive and that’s the reason why we have to take our customers by the hand, help with the integration, and encapsulate the systems. However, the semiconductor industry provides excellent references for mechanical engineering. Then, there are laser machining applications with fast piezo beam steering systems and certainly in the future, the field of active optics for laser beam shaping.
Piezo ceramics in a machine tool: Piezo actuators improve the performance of die-sinking EDM machining Learn more Q: So, the intelligent piezo system will become standard?
Dr. Bach: No, we don’t necessarily need intelligent piezo actuators for every application. If a machine in a research lab is down for a few days, we’re not talking about an economic disaster – unlike when a semiconductor production line comes to a screeching halt. In addition to more complex and advanced systems, we will continue to provide simple actuators and motion solutions as well.
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MIDWEST
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WEST
(949) 679-9191 (LA Area & Mexico)
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