Unlock the Next Level of Surface Shaping. With Smart Piezo Actuator and Drive Technologies. Flexible in Actuator Design Through the combination of active, semi-active or hybrid piezo actuator technologies with different designs, specific requirements in terms of strokes, forces, or resolutions can be met. Flexible in Operation The combination of dynamic, quasi-static, and mixed operation makes the generation of different amplitudes with minimized position noise possible. Flexible in Shape Variable arrangements of actuators or actuator arrays will enable different types of deformations with highest resolution. Smart wiring, drive, and sensor concepts can simplify the hardware environment. Flexible in Feature Size Utilizing piezo ceramic material with a structured composition will enable highest operational flexibility and shaping of the smallest features.

Micro-Hole Laser Drilling: New Motion Control Algorithms & Motion Stages Boost Quality, Throughput

Laser Seam Welding: Increasing the Accuracy with Galvo Scanners and Precision Linear Stages

Technology Leadership Interview: Magnetic Levitation - Future of Nanopositioning | PI

Technology Leadership Interview: Modular Control Platform Design - Future of Motion Control | PI

Technology Leadership Interview: The Future of Learning Based Motion Control | PI

Technology Leadership: Integrating Active Vibration Control w/ Nano-Precision Motion Control | PI

Compact air bearing stages provide superior dynamics in multi-axis automated optics and photonics alignment applications. More reasons for using Air bearings in photonics alignment :

1. High Precision: Air bearings use a thin layer of pressurized air to create a nearly frictionless surface between the bearing and the stage, leading to smooth and precise motion. This is crucial in photonics alignment where sub-micron precision is often required.
2. No Mechanical Wear: Because there is no direct contact between surfaces, there is no mechanical wear or need for lubrication. This helps maintain the high precision over time and reduces the need for maintenance.
3. Stability: Air bearings provide excellent stability, which is important for the exacting demands of photonics alignment. They can resist external forces and vibrations, maintaining the alignment accuracy.
4. High Speed and Acceleration:
5. Clean Operation:

The photonics industry will have to scale by 3 orders of magnitude to keep up with demand in the near future. Silicon photonics is the most scalable efficient, capable and green approach to sustainably keeping pace with data requirements. Advanced motion control algorithms and mechanisms are crucial in reducing test and production cycle times. More: https://www.pi-usa.us/en/tech-blog/search-blog-posts-by-category/photonics/

Using optical sensors and gantry motion system in 3D surface profiling. 3D surface profiling is a technique used to measure and analyze the surface features of an object in three dimensions. This method involves scanning the object''s surface and collecting data to create a 3D map or model.

3D surface profiling is essential due to several key reasons:

1. Detailed Surface Analysis: It provides comprehensive, detailed analysis of an object''s surface characteristics including texture, roughness, and shape. This allows for deeper insights into the material''s behavior and quality.
2. Improved Quality Control: It ensures that manufactured products meet the required quality standards. Any irregularities or deviations in surface structure can be quickly identified, allowing for adjustments to the manufacturing process if needed.
3. Better Product Performance:
4. Informed Decision Making:
5. Enhanced Research Opportunities:

Combining piezo stages and linear motors can significantly improve micro-hole laser drilling performance. Here we are looking at high-density 30µm micro-holes in glass.

Laser drilling is widely used in various industries due to its numerous benefits:

1. Precision and Accuracy: Laser drilling allows for highly precise and accurate drilling of holes, even on a microscopic scale. This is particularly beneficial in industries such as electronics and medical device manufacturing, where precision is crucial.
2. Non-Contact Process: As a non-contact process, laser drilling reduces the risk of causing physical damage or deformation to the material being drilled.
3. Versatility: Lasers can drill a wide range of materials, including metals, ceramics, plastics, and even some composite materials. They can also drill holes of varying sizes and shapes, providing a high degree of flexibility.
4. Speed and Efficiency:
5. Minimal Heat Affected Zone (HAZ):
6. Clean and Environmentally Friendly:

More information on rotary stages: https://www.pi-usa.us/en/products/mot...

Key Takeaways from the Air Bearing Webinar

• Fundamentals: Explore the core principles of air bearings.
• Comparative Assessment: Assess how air bearings compare to conventional motion systems, weighing the advantages and drawbacks while considering factors like geometry, speed, load, and environmental suitability.
• Application Highlights: Uncover real-world scenarios where air bearing motion systems excel, from cutting-edge micro-LED and semiconductor manufacturing to tomography systems and high-speed photonics alignment automation.
• Future Directions: Gain knowledge about upcoming trends and innovations within the realm of air bearing technology and related technologies.

Solutions: https://www.pi-usa.us/en/products/pho... Silicon photonics has evolved beyond data-center connectivity, becoming a key platform for various applications like LIDAR, biosensors, quantum computing, and consumer optical cables. This growth anticipates a significant increase in device demand by mid-decade, posing a substantial challenge to the industry.

New Piezo-Based Approach Enables Breakthrough Speed and Accuracy. Laser drilling precision and throughput are limited by a number of factors including optical distortion, tracking accuracy, acceleration limits of motion stages, and focus control performance. This new motion control technology is designed to enhance the precision and accuracy of laser drilling for a wide range of target applications, including aerospace, medical, electronics, and automotive. With our state-of-the-art motion control systems, we offer the foundation to help you design your next generation laser drilling system.

https://pi-driving-innovation.com/en/... PILightning is a the fastest first light search method. With its integrated AI-based real-time executive function, it reduces single-sided alignments by an average of 10X and the much more demanding dual-sided alignments by more than 100X, enabling the rapid manufacturing scaling of silicon photonics (SiPh). More on photonics alignment: https://www.pi-usa.us/en/news-events/... and https://www.pi-usa.us/en/products/pho...

At Photonics West 2024, Scott Jordan with PI jumps right into the challenges of silicon photonics, demonstrating with a photonic alignment machine. PI has streamlined the measurement process, while eliminating production pain points, in its mission to solve the first light challenge.

More about Motion Control Solutions for Semiconductor Technology https://www.pi-usa.us/en/products/mot...

Innovative ideas around nanopositioning and precision motion control for wafer shaping, wafer stages with piezo performance, air bearings and granite-based multi-axis motion systems. More information in PI''s motion solutions for the Semiconductor Industry:

A new hybrid piezo motor driven wafer stage for semiconductor test and metrology. The new piezo-motor drive and control principle enables millisecond step and settle times and extremely high accuracy and repeatability.
More: https://www.pi-usa.us/en/knowledge-ce...