Motion Control & Drives


Compact planar scanner with air bearing

April 2022 Motion Control & Drives

The high-precision PIglide IS XY planar scanner with air bearing has a flat design and is an alternative to the stacked XY stages typical in microscopy. Made by Physik Instrumente (PI), the efficient, compact design saves space in machines with limited installation space. Accessories and options include an encoder, PIglide filter and air preparation kit, multi-axis motion controller and direct drives, machine bases, base plates made of granite and systems for reducing vibration.

PIMag magnetic direct drive

Three-phase magnetic direct drives such as those used in the PIglide IS do not use mechanical components in the drivetrain, they transmit the drive force to the motion platform directly and without friction, allowing them to reach high velocities and accelerations. Ironless motors are particularly suitable for positioning tasks with the highest demands on precision because there is no undesirable interaction with the permanent magnets. This allows smooth running even at the lowest velocities, while there is no vibration at high velocities. Nonlinearity in control behaviour is avoided and any position can be controlled easily. The drive force can be set freely.

Operation with digital controllers from leading manufacturers offers advanced control algorithms to improve the dynamics and error compensation. PIglide positioning systems are ideally suited for high-precision applications such as inspection systems, laser marking, microscopy or scanning.


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