New H-820 low-cost hexapod: six axes of motion for £19k

The H-820 also convinces by its performance: it provides travel ranges of up to 100mm in X and Y direction and 50mm in the Z axis as well as rotational angles up to 60 degrees. Thanks to the specially developed brushless torque motors, a load capacity of 20kg and velocities of up to 20mm/s can be achieved.

PI's H-820 system also includes a powerful digital controller commanded via Ethernet. All target positions are conveniently given in Cartesian coordinates. Its price and performance make the H-820 particularly appealing for applications in industrial automation and manufacturing, or for research, e.g. in biotechnology.

The Hexapod is driven by six high-resolution actuators, all connected directly to the same moving platform. This parallel-kinematic structure combines high system stiffness with a large clear aperture. Because of the low mass of the moving platform, positioning operations can be performed with far lower settling times than with stacked multi-axis systems. In those systems, run-out and guiding errors, that have an impact on the dynamic properties of the individual axes, as well as friction and inertia of moving cables, all accumulate to limit the system's accuracy and repeatability - problems which do not affect parallel-kinematic systems like the Hexapod.

To find out more about the new H-820 Hexapod from PI, please go to www.pi.ws.