When it comes to high precision, granite-based, multi-axis motion systems, manufacturers have two fundamental options: Design a motion system where the granite base becomes an integral part, with bearings mounted directly on the granite slab and no need for a base plate – or, use off-the-shelf, discrete motion / positioning stages and mount them on a granite base or split-bridge granite structure.
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Integrated Granite Motion Systems vs Positioning Stages Mounted on a Granite Base
Differences and Similarities of High Precision Multi-Axis Positioning Systems Concepts
How Air Bearings Provide Better Straightness and Flatness
Setup, Definitions and Measurement of Linear Air Bearings and Stages
When working with air bearings, we often describe the quality of motion as one of the key factors in selecting an air bearing; specifically, the straightness and flatness of travel of linear bearings and stages. Just how straight and flat? What levels of precision are achievable?
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7 Reasons Why Air Bearings Outperform Mechanical Bearings
Precision positioning and automation applications widely rely on high-performance motion stages and motion controllers. When it comes to developing a next generation machine or process, motion system designers often ask the question whether to employ mechanical bearings or air bearings.
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Emerging Resources for Photonic Device Manufacturing
The mainstreaming of photonics - the science and application of light waves - keeps accelerating. Pandemic-driven data-consumption has hastened adoption of silicon photonics (SiPh) to enable new capacity, architectural flexibility, and energy-efficiency for data centers.
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The Quantum Era Emerges
How PI Fast Automated Alignment Enables Practical Manufacturing
The emerging field of quantum technology (quantum computing, quantum photonics, quantum communication) has snapped into view with surprising speed over the past two years. Once the stuff of science fiction and arcane experimentation, this counterintuitive field of physics is proving highly useful for computing, sensing, and secure communications.
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How to Integrate Laser Control and Motion Control to Achieve More with Less
Better Solutions for System Integrators to Design and Build Advanced Laser Processing Systems
Motion and Laser Control integration provides system integrators with advanced laser processing solutions.
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Why Fast Steering Mirrors are used in Laser Communication / Free Space Optical Communication
High Precision Tip/Tilt Mechanisms Keep Laser Beams Stabilized and Precisely on Target
How PI Fast Steering Mirrors (FSM) support the Future of Laser Based Communication.
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Some Like it Hot
How PI Is Helping to Unlock the Sun's Secrets
The Solar Orbiter space probe begun its journey in February 2020. Also on board: A tip/tilt unit from PI for the secondary mirror of one of the central experiments, the Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager (PHI).
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Smart Vaccine Patch Production with Piezo Elements
Fight Against COVID-19
In the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic, modern vaccination technologies are gaining importance as they promise to protect the world population from future pandemics. Vaccine patches are one of these next generation applications and piezo components or actuators can be used to precisely dispense tiniest droplets on the microneedles.
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