Precision motion leader PI (Physik Instrumente) has introduced their new air bearing stage and system capabilities at this year's Photonics West conference, to complement their comprehensive range of piezo nano positioning stages and hexapod micro positioning systems.
With the 2014 acquisition of Nelson Air Bearing Products of New Hampshire, PI is building on over 200 man-years of in-house air bearing experience to offer linear, planar XY, and rotary air bearing stages to serve both the research and industrial markets. The PI group offers comprehensive precision air bearing motion control and positioning products and systems, which are inherently frictionless, for smooth accurate motion.
By combining extremely responsive engineering consultative support and lean manufacturing techniques, PI is able to provide the highest quality customer service. Maximum performance of precision systems is achieved thru extensive design and analysis expertise, using equipment built in-house with proprietary techniques. A variety of precision air bearing products and integrated positioning systems are available from motorized linear and XY stages, rotary tables and stages, spindles, non-motorized components, and machining systems.
Why Air Bearings?
As opposed to mechanical bearings, air-bearing positioners literally float on air, providing completely frictionless motion resulting in negligible hysteresis or reversal error, better straightness, flatness and velocity stability, which are ideal prerequisites for high-end industrial inspection and manufacturing operations. Similar motion quality can only be provided by magnetic levitation systems and flexure guided piezo systems, both technologies that PI also offers.
Extension of Existing Nanopositioning Capabilities
With 4 decades of experience in piezo nanopositioning systems design and motorized precision positioning equipment, the new air bearing systems capabilities are a natural and logical extension of PI's precision motion offerings.
PI is now in the unique position to cover the whole motion range from finger-tip sized nano-positioners to large scale stages with long travel ranges, through a plethora of different drive and guiding systems tailored exactly to the customer's needs.