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PI switches to 24-bit nanopositioning controllers

A PI (Physik Instrumente) product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Sep 25, 2009

PI is switching to a new generation of 24-bit resolution, nanopositioning stage controllers.

The controllers will enable better than 100pm command resolution for latest generation, long-travel, piezo nanopositioning systems (1mm and up) such as the PIHera series closed-loop flexure stages.

The use of 24-bit converters represents more than two orders of magnitude improvement over the 16-bit converters.

The controllers feature a high-speed USB interface and come in a variety of bench-top, rack-mount and OEM card versions from single-channel units for simple linear actuator applications, to multi-axis system controllers with 12 channels per rack.

Features include: integrated USB Interface; 24 bit converters for higher position resolution; additional RS-232 interface for compatibility with industrial controllers; extensive software libraries and GUIs; support for Labview, Matlab, text-based programming languages; analogue interface for compatibility with NI cards and analogue control signals; network capability with up to 12 channels for multiaxis positioning applications; choice of position feedback sensors: capacitive for highest precision and piezoresistive/strain gauges for cost-sensitive applications; integrated servo controller with notch filter for higher bandwidth; user-programmable data tables for random waveform generation; extensive software support; and hardware-independent command set.

The piezo controllers come with Windows installation software, DLLs and Labview drivers.

The command set is based on the hardware-independent General Command Set (GCS), common to all PI micro and nanopositioning systems.

GCS reduces the programming effort for complex multi-axis positioning tasks or when upgrading a system with a different PI controller.

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