Posted to News on 24th Oct 2007, 07:32
Compact piezo linear motor drives offer sub-nanometre resolution
Lambda Photometrics is introducing PI's third line of piezo linear motor drives that combine unlimited travel range, sub-nanometre resolution and high dynamics in a very compact package.
Precision motion over several millimetres with high positional resolution places great demands on drive hardware. Not only do dynamic performance and generated force requirements have to be considered for each application, but also available space.
PI has been providing two types of piezo linear motors for many years, now the new and cost-effective NEXACT piezo linear drives fill the niche between the fast, flat PILine drives (50nm resolution, up to 800mm/s) and the heavy-duty, ultra-precise NEXLINE drives (up to 600N, sub-nanometre resolution).
The outstanding features of the NEXACT OEM stepping drives include virtually unlimited travel range, very high positioning resolution in the sub-nanometre range and highly compact design - the N-310 is only 25 x 25 x 8mm (1 x 1 x 5/16") - not to mention the vacuum-compatible and non-magnetic operating principle.
NEXACT technology uses the PiezoWalk drive principle that combines two operating modes: step motion for unlimited travel range and a highly-dynamic linear (analogue) mode for sub-nanometre resolution within a step. The runner of the linear drive is moved forward or backward by piezoelectric actuators, which alternately clamp and drive it. In the ultra-high-resolution linear mode, all the piezo actuators clamp and drive the runner together, without stepping.
NEXACT differs from NEXLINE in its smaller size, lower force generation and lower operating voltage of less than 40V.
For ultra-precision nanopositioning applications, the highly sophisticated E-860-series NEXACT driver/controller series supports both stepping and linear modes in open- and closed-loop operation.
