Flexible, Fast Gantry Platform for Large-Area Photonic Test & Assembly. • Photonic test• Component sorting & Validation• Device Stacking & Assembly• PCB Test• Flexible Probing• Industrial class• High MTBF• High speed, lowest per-part cost• Open Architecture• Intelligent algorithms• Automated scanning• Find & profile components• Automated tracking• Modularity• Compactness• Vibrationless• High resolution• Scalable

More on gantry stages: https://www.pi-usa.us/en/products/gan... Active Yaw Control with Gantry XY and XYZ stages allows for error compensation with better straightness and orthogonality. Active yaw control can also be used to make the two bottom linear module stages of the gantry actively rotate over small angles, if the necessary flexure elements have been designed into the gantry system.

Any instrument to survive the trip to and operating conditions on Mars needs to be designed to withstand the most adversary conditions. NASA''s Rover Curiosity has been analyzing mineral probes on the Red Planet for years to find out whether there once was life on Mars. A piezoelectric high performance and high precision shaking mechanism was designed to sort particles drilled from rock samples and aid the Robot''s chemical analysis. The piezoelectric actuators were run 100 Billion test cycles before the trip to make sure they were tough enough.

Multi-axis stages, and 6-axis hexapod robotic platforms are critical system components for automation in optics, photonics, precision assembly and active alignment type of applications. Hexapod 6-axis stages provide higher versatility compared to conventional multi-axis motion stages.

High performance, high speed direct drive linear modules are key to leading industrial automation processes where high-speed motion and high accuracy and positional repeatability decide over throughput, yield and quality. A new generation of linear modules with frictionless, wear-free linear motors combines these requirements and was designed with low cost of ownership, operation and fast ROI. Controlled by scalable EtherCat-based motion controllers, https://www.pi-usa.us/en/products/con... highly coordinated motion over multi-axis motion arrangements is easily achievable. Advanced motion control, with synchronization of external events is key to micro-assembly, sensor testing, camera placement, digital industrial inkjet printing or laser material processing such as described here: https://www.pi-usa.us/en/tech-blog/ho... Additional information and specifications on direct drive linear stages is available here: https://www.pi-usa.us/en/products/pos...

https://www.pi-usa.us/en/tech-blog/se... Nanopositioning motion control technologies are key for the advancement of high resolution microscopy, metrology, photonics and semiconductor wafer test. A few examples are explained in the video. More: https://www.pi-usa.us/en/tech-blog/ho... and https://www.pi-usa.us/en/products/mic...

https://www.pi-usa.us/en/tech-blog/re... How does a piezoelectric transducer (actuator) work? Modern Piezo actuators are based on thin piezoceramic layers manufactured in a co-fired process to form a monolithic unit. They are also called multilayer actuators, similar to multilayer ceramic capacitors. When an electric voltage is applied to the piezo actuators electrodes, the unit changes its shape, and thus displacement. Depending on the cross section of the piezo ceremic forces from hundreds to 10''s of thousands of Newtons can be generated allowing for precision positioning of heavy loads or active correction or vibration cancellation. Piezoelectric actuators are often used in applications including precision motion control, precision dispensing, force control, vibration control, nanopositioning, medical devices, etc. https://www.pi-usa.us/en/products/mic... A piezo motion tutorial (Piezo Control Wiki) can be found here https://www.pi-usa.us/en/products/pie...

https://www.pi-usa.us/en/tech-blog/ov... Piezoelectric motors can solve critical precision motion problems often better than competing technologies such as linear motors and https://www.pi-usa.us/en/tech-blog/se... and voice coil motors https://www.pi-usa.us/en/tech-blog/ho...

https://www.pi-usa.us/en/tech-blog/ad... Direct Drive Linear Motors and Rotary Motors Play a Critical Role in precision motion control applications in industry and research.

Piezolelectric transducers and ultrasonic transducers show unique performance in downhole and sonar applications, such as underwater locator beacons and underwater communication over long distances in the range of several miles / kilometers. To meet the specific requirements for these hydro-acoustic applications, the piezo transducers have to be designed with large surface or special geometries such as tubes, spheres or hemispheres. Piezoelectric stack actuators (https://www.pi-usa.us/en/products/pie...) can also be used for downhole communication in real-time sensing and advanced data communication applications with high temperatures to 200 degrees.

In this podcast Chris Mendillo talks with Dave Rego about his work on the Picture-C balloon experiment - a more economical way to finding new planets without the use of satellites. More on PI''s involvement in astronomy here: https://www.pi-usa.us/en/apps-tech/as...​

More on Hexapods https://www.pi-usa.us/en/products/6-a...​

NASA WASP Pointing System - https://sites.wff.nasa.gov/code820/do...

PI''s Next Generation objective nano-positioners https://www.pi-usa.us/en/products/mic... for microscopy and surface metrology provide higher speed, precision and longer travel ranges up to 800µm, along with easier integration. Applications for nano-focusing stages include multiphoton fluorescence microscopy, optical coherence tomography, wafer surface inspection and laser materials processing. For even longer travel ranges a new voice coil, direct drive nano-focusing stage with 7mm motion is described here https://www.pi-usa.us/en/news-events/...

More: https://www.pi-usa.us/en/products/gan... High speed and high precision gantry stages and XYZ motion stages provide the basis for industrial highly accurate laser machining and 3D printing processes. Fast linear motors provide frictionless motion with zero wear, in contrast to screw and belt driven gantries and stages. Non-contact linear motors not only provide higher speed and precision but also increased reliability. More information on Gantries in 3D print: https://www.pi-usa.us/en/tech-blog/3d...

Motorized Precision XY Gantries and XYZ Gantry Stages are used for precision automation in manufacturing, assembly, laser machining, printed circuit board production, additive manufacturing (3D printing) and many other test and inspection applications related to optics, semiconductors and photonics.

Motorized Gantry Stages with Direct Drive motors provide higher speed, performance and precision compared to belt-driven gantries or screw driven gantry stages.

More information on 3-axis gantry stages (linear robots) is available here: https://www.pi-usa.us/en/products/gan... and information on SPC software and how to use STL files for 3D printing is available here https://www.pi-usa.us/en/tech-blog/3d...

Before an electronic chip can be purchased, 400 to 800 production steps have been run through. At all critical points during manufacturing, inspection processes are essential to ensure the high quality and reliability of the final products.

The production of computer chips starts with the separation of individual dies from the semiconductor wafer. Laser dicing has many advantages over physical cutting equipment. A new and improved method of laser dicing is the so-called stealth laser dicing (SLD). This is achieved by focusing a laser below the wafer surface, which will create a modified layer within the wafer. A tape expander will later separate the chips. High precision motion and nanopositioning stages, high resolution nanofocusing devices for the laser beam and advanced software facilitate the design, setup and operation of a wafer stealth dicing system.

Automation of alignment in photonics device test, production and assembly is crucial for boosting throughput. Faster multi-axis photonics and fiber alignment stages and improved algorithms are the base for any automated production line. Scott Jordan, Physik Instrumente''s Head of Photonics, explains how PI''s motion systems enable simultaneous active alignment of several optical components achieving 99% reduction in alignment times.

A quick overview of precision motion and automation solutions for laser machining, metrology, 3D printing and active alignment

More on PI precision motion and automation technologies and applications at our technical blog: https://www.pi-usa.us/en/tech-blog/se...

The novel method discussed here, allows the generation of highly synchronous A/B quad signals even for motion platforms that do not have inherent digital feedback encoders.

More information on synchronized motion control and laser control is available here: https://www.pi-usa.us/en/tech-blog/ho...

More on #piezoelectric #transducers and #ultrasound #transducers https://www.pi-usa.us/en/products/pie... materials and piezoelectric components for ultrasound transducers and piezoelectric actuators are design and manufactured at the PI''s piezo division PI Ceramic. Piezoelectric ceramics are part of the electroceramic group of materials which cover electrical, mechanical, and magnetic properties. Information on the generation of ultrasound is here: https://www.pi-usa.us/en/expertise/te...