Micropositioning system has high load capacity
A
Lambda Photometrics product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Dec 4, 2006
The M-850 is billed as the ideal micropositioning system for all complex positioning tasks that depend on high load capacity and accuracy in six independent axes.
The PI range of Hexapod Microrobot positioning systems is the result of many years of experience with high-resolution parallel kinematics (PKM).
The M-850 is billed as the ideal micropositioning system for all complex positioning tasks that depend on high load capacity and accuracy in six independent axes.
In addition to positioning all axes with resolutions in the submicron and arc-second ranges, it allows the user to define the centre of rotation (pivot point) anywhere inside or outside the system envelope by one simple software command.
Two models are available: the M-850.50, featuring higher speed and direct-drive actuators; and the M-850.11, with a gear ratio that makes it self-locking even with large loads.
The M-850 Hexapod is driven by six high-resolution actuators (for the M-850.11, 0.005um resolution) all connected directly to the same moving platform.
The principle is similar to that seen in flight simulators, but considerably more precise.
In place of the hydraulic actuators used there, the M-850 uses custom high-load precision screws and servomotors.
It can withstand loads of 200kg vertically, and at least 50kg in any direction.
Laser metrology techniques and finite element method (FEM) simulations were used to design and optimise the system.
The low mass of the moving platform and the use of extremely stiff and accurate components results in an unusually high natural frequency of 500Hz with a 10kg load.
This means that positioning operations can be performed with far lower settling times than with conventional, serial-kinematics multi-axis systems.
In such systems, runout, guiding errors, friction and the inertia of moving cables all accumulate to limit accuracy and repeatability - problems which do not affect parallel kinematic systems like the Hexapod.
Furthermore, the pivot point is freely definable, independent of the positions of the linear axes.
For optics and other alignment tasks, it is important to be able to define a fixed pivot point.
The sophisticated Hexapod controller allows choosing any point in space as the pivot point for the rotation axes.
Target positions in six-space are entered in user-friendly co-ordinates and reached by smooth vectorised motion.
Control of the M-850 is facilitated by the controller's open interface architecture, which provides a variety of high-level commands and includes a macro language for programming and storing command sequences.
Other Hexapod designs include the M-840 HexaLight Microrobot and the M-824 Compact Microrobot.
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