High-Force Ceramic Linear Drive for Long-Range Nanopositioning

N-216 NEXLINE® high-load linear motors are ultra-precision nanopositioning actuators with travel ranges to 20 mm and push / pull forces to 600 N (130 lb). The operating principle is based on coordinated motion of a number of highly preloaded linear and shear piezo elements acting on a runner and does not involve rotation/linear conversion. The working principle is non-magnetic, vacuum & clean room compatible.

Open & Closed Loop Operation
N-216 comes in two versions for open- or closed-loop operation, as well as in two different load configurations. Closed-loop versions are equipped with a linear encoder for direct position measurement of the moving runner. The encoder features 5 nm resolution over the full travel range. In open-loop operation a positioning resolution to 30 picometers can be realized by use of the (high-dynamics) analog operation mode.

Photo by Physik Instrumente (PI) GmbH & Co.KG

Extreme Reliability, Virtually Unlimited Lifetime
NEXLINE® drives have many high-end applications from ultra-precision manufacturing and semiconductor test equipment to astronomy and high energy physics applications. They excel when the requirements for high forces, precision, lifetime and stability are paramount. The extreme reliability makes them ideal for applications in difficult-to-access internals of instruments, where nanometer-realm adjustment and / or vibration cancellation are required. To promote long lifetime, the PiezoWalk® controller can reduce the operating voltage on all the piezo elements to zero at any position without affecting the full holding force (up to 800 N, 177 lbs).

PiezoWalk® Working Principle Allows Different Operation Modes
NEXLINE® drives overcome the limitations of conventional nanopositioning systems in their combination of long travel ranges and high resolution and stiffness. The piezo ceramic clamping and shear elements act directly on a moving runner coupled to the load. For maximum velocity, and long distance movements, the runner can be driven in full step mode. Extremely uniform motion and constant velocity is achieved with the nanostepping mode. In addition to combining long travel ranges with piezo-class precision, NEXLINE® PiezoWalk® drives also offer a high-dynamics analog operation mode (100’s of Hz) over smaller distances (to 6 µm)

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