The M-811.STV from Physik Instrumente (PI) is a miniature, six-axis positioner designed for vacuum applications. At just 15 mm tall, with a diameter of 130 mm, the M-811.STV can carry a load of up to 11 pounds, making it ideal for applications where space is limited.
“This is one of the smallest hexpods on the market,” says Stefan Vodran, vice president of marketing for PI. “It’s the best combination of size and load capacity that’s out there.”
The hexapod has three major components: a base plate, the six actuators (struts), and a top-plate.
Between each actuator and the plates, a joint allows the actuator the freedom to move and rotate.
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Parallel Kinematics
Parallel-kinematics positioning systems are designed as a single piece that can move in all six directions, much like a human hand, explains Vodran. In the M-811.STV, six legs move in parallel with one another to shift a single platform, reducing mass and inertia.
To move in six directions with a classical positioner, a user risks running out of space or needing to go with a larger vacuum chamber, which can add cost to the project.
Hexapods are found across fields, including high-energy physics, medical engineering, X-ray microscopy, astronomy, precision machining, and aeronautics. The M-811.STV is specifically designed for photonics alignment and semiconductor test and metrology applications.
Center of Rotation
All of PI’s hexapods offer users the option to set the center of rotation to any point in space and have the hexapod platform rotate around that point using a set of simple software commands.
“This is very important when you align optics or when you think about fiber and photonic alignment,” says Vodran. With one software command, the digital controller will easily adjust the center of rotation.
Controller
The controller is designed specially for hexapods with firmware that has been developed and improved by PI over 20 years. The software also comes with simulation tools to test the hexapod before installation.
The M-811.STV also offers high precision, with an actuator resolution of 0.04 µm and repeatability of ±0.5 µm. The XYZ-Travel is 35/35/13-mm, at a velocity of 10 mm/second.
This story originally appeared in PD&D’s 2011 Motion Control & Automation supplement. To read the supplement, click http://bit.ly/miIGPK.