- 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.
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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.
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- Linear StagesLinear Stages - Precision Positioning Solutions | PI USASeveral types of motorized precision linear translation stages | PI USA
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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.
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- 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.
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- 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
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- 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!
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Size matters in miniaturization and automation – smaller is usually better. Traditional electromagnetic motors have limitations when it comes to shrinking dimensions while maintaining high efficiency and accuracy of motion with minimized energy consumption. Piezo ceramic inertia motors can fill this gap. The Q-Motion dubbed miniature direct drives can be employed in linear positioners, rotary stages, goniometer cradles, and even 6-axis parallel positioners. In addition to inertia motors, there are many other types of piezo motors, including ultrasonic drives and high-force piezo-walk drives.
Q-motion piezo inertia motors are extremely small. They allow the design of nanometer-precision mechanisms with scaled-down dimensions that were unthinkable a few years ago – ideal for integration into miniaturized instrumentation. Stick-slip motors are especially cost-effective and can provide nanometer precision motion if required. They provide the best force/size ratio for smallest dimensions.
Working Principle
A piezoelectric ceramic actuator is preloaded against a moving runner. Controlled by a drive signal with a quasi saw-tooth shape, the actuator expands slowly and contracts rapidly (or in the opposite direction). During the slow expansion, the runner sticks to the coupling element and moves along, while during the rapid contraction, the coupling element slips along the runner, which basically stays in place.
Two different versions were developed optimized either for miniature size, moderate force or compact size and higher force.
1. Tangential Inertia Drive Motor
- Very Small Dimensions
- Simple Mechanics
- To 2 N Holding Force
Mini-Rod piezo inertia drives are based on an actuator moving a small rod – or moving along the rod if the rod is fixed. These motors are more powerful than the tangential drives, with up to 10N pushing/holding force. They can be integrated into linear actuators and linear positioning stages, however the principle does not apply to rotary stages.
The operating principle is shown in the animation.
Actuators based on the Mini-Rod drive: N-422 OEM version (left) and N-412 integrated actuator (right) (Image: PI) Learn more The Q-545 linear positioning stage is based on the mini-rod drive principle. Vacuum version shown left, standard version shown right, 1” travel range. Encoder resolution to 1nm is available. (Image: PI) Learn more An application of the Q-545.140 closed-loop servo linear stages in high resolution interferometry used for quantum information processing is described in this paper “Temporal-mode-selective optical Ramsey interferometry via cascaded frequency conversion” that deals with storage and retrieval of quantum information, written by Dileep V. Reddy and Michael G. Raymer, Oregon Center for Molecular, Optical and Quantum Science and Department of Physics, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon USA.
The nanopositioning stages used provide an encoder-based position read-out precision of 1nm.
The schematic above shows the setup of the two-stage, TM-selective optical Ramsey interferometer and the position of the Q-545.140 linear piezo motor stages that move the signal- and register-mirrors (s-mirror, r-mirror). Credit: arxiv.org/pdf/1710.06736 Learn more Train of 6nm steps executed with Q-545 closed-loop stage, measured with laser interferometer at 5kHz sampling rate. The highest encoder resolution is 1nm. This type of resolution allows applications in high resolution microscopy. The LPS-45, a predecessor of the Q-545, was used for nanometer precise accurate positioning of the Fresnel Zone Plate along the optical axis of a compact stand-alone EUV microscope. (Image: PI) Learn more Multi-axis combination of X-Z linear stage (Q-545), with high-speed U-628 ultrasonic miniature rotary stage. (Image: PI) During the stick phase, the runner is moved in the defined direction.
During the slip phase, the runner does not move. The so-called back-stepping effect leads to a small backward motion during the acceleration phase of the piezo actuator.
The typical feed- motion per full cycle is 300 nm to 1 µm. It depends on the actuator type and force acting on the actuator.
The actuator can be controlled to any position within its range with sub-nm resolution by changing the drive voltage (analog mode).
(left) XY combinations mount directly without adapters. A Z-bracket is available for vertical applications.
(right) XYZ motion with combination of Q-521 stages, 12mm and 32mm travel – watch videoSelf-Locking at Rest
As with most piezo motors, Q-Motion inertia drives are self-locking at rest. There is no power consumption, no heat dissipation, no position dither.
Velocity Control
Back-stepping Effect
Between each stick and slip cycle, a miniscule position shift called the back-stepping effect can be noticed. This effect is inseparably connected with the inertia drive principle and its relevance depends on the application.
Q-522.140 with E-871.1A1 controller • Operation Frequency 20 kHz • Data sample rate: 133 kHz • Time base: 0.3 milliseconds, which corresponds to 6 full stick-slip cycles At a data sample rate of 133 kHz, a backstepping effect is too small to be noticed! Consequentially, we state that the backstepping effect does not influence the constancy and smoothness of velocity. However, there are other factors that directly influence the velocity.
Constancy of Velocity at a Microscopic Level
With the entry level E-871.1A1 motion controller, the selected velocity is reached by adjusting the operating frequency. Adjusting the frequency means that the voltage profile of a single step remains constant with pauses in between. The E-873 controller offers more sophisticated velocity control.
Simplified control voltage profile for different operating frequencies Lifetime
Lifetime is affected by load, duty cycle, environmental conditions (humidity, vacuum), etc., based on wear motion ranges of >20km are feasible.
Operation Recommendation
Duty Cycles
Ideal applications demand:
- Duty cycles below 50 %
- Continuous operating time <10 sec (2x back and forth across the complete travel range)
Product Overview
Linear Stages
Rotary Stages
6-Axis Parallel Positioners
In addition to linear and rotary positioners, linear stages can be combined to 6-axis parallel arrangements.
Q-821 6-axis miniature parallel positioner based on Q-521 linear stages compared to ball pen. • 80x80x48 mm³ • 1 nm sensor resolution The E-873 3-channel motion controller features:
- Broadband encoder input
- Macro programmable for stand-alone functionality
- Data recorder
- Nonvolatile EEPROM for macros and parameters
- Digital I/O ports (TTL)
- ID chip support
- Interfaces: TCP/IP and USB
- Optional digital joystick for manual operation a single channnel version is available as the E-871
The E-870 driver features include:
- For PIShift and PiezoMike Piezo Inertia Drives
- Ideal for OEM Applications
- One to Four Actuators, Serial Control (through demultiplexing)
- With Digital USB interface
- Host Software LabVIEW Driver Included
Download Technical Note for E-872 OEM Driver Learn more Features of the E-872.01 and E-472.02 OEM driver include:
- Step-Direction Input Signal
- E-872.01: Full Step Modus
- E-872.02: Micro Step Modus
- Cost Effective
The E-873 Macro programmable specifications include:
- Data Recorder
- Digital I/ O Ports (TTL)
- ID Chip Support
- Interfaces: USB, RS-232 and TCP/ IP
- Joystick Input for Manual Operation
- Velocity Control
- Compatible Sub-D Connectors for Q-Motion Stages
- Optionally Available with Metal-Sheet Housing for OEM Applications
Vacuum and Nonmagnetic Operation
High-Vacuum to 10-6 hPa
Standard and unprepared Q-Motion stages can be used in ambient conditions and for vacuum up to 10-6 hPa. For vacuum operation, the C-815.VF vacuum feedthrough is available.
On the air side, the following cables will be available for connecting the feedthrough with the controller E-873 (plus adapter cable for E-871, which is included in the delivery of the stage):
These air-side cables also work for the feedthrough for UHV.
Ultrahigh Vacuum to 10-9 hPa
Ultrahigh vacuum models are also available.
Nonmagnetic Operation
PI is currently evaluating ceramic bearings for nonmagnetic stage designs. Nonmagnetic operation is of interest in the environment of electron beam imaging such as lithography or microscopy.
Tests in High Magnetic Fields
The KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) has performed tests in high magnetic fields of 9.4 Tesla (T). The stage (not operating) was not attracted by the magnetic field and was not magnetized.
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- Aero-Space
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