Asymmetric XY Stages With Nanometer-Level Precision
ALIO introduces a positioning solution that provides customers with the exact X and Y travel ranges needed for their applications.
Posted: March 6, 2020
ALIO Industries (Arvada, CO) has announced the launch of Asymmetric XY stages, its latest nanomater-level precision positioning solution.
Three standard versions with asymmetric body designs/travel lengths are now available with customized versions offered for OEM programs.
“Over many years, ALIO has been developing precision positioning solutions for applications that do not require identical travel lengths on both the X and the Y axes,” said ALIO CEO Bill Hennesey. “All the company’s XY solutions are standard monolithic ones, regardless of the requirement for X and Y travel lengths to be different, the alternative – stacked stages – will always compromise performance.
“Take a look at what some alternative suppliers do,” Hennesey continued. “Frequently they will offer an XY stack comprised of a single axis crossed roller stage, which results in poor static and especially poor dynamic performance related to tuning challenges. In these stacked configurations, the lack of lower axis torsional stiffness and the bending moments of the upper axis greatly limit the dynamic responsiveness of the stage. It’s kind of like trying to find stable footing on a diving board that is sitting on a tightrope!”
Prior to the recent launch of Asymmetric XY stages, when confronted with the need to work with applications that required the accommodation of X and Y axis travel that were not the same, ALIO would sometimes limit travel on the upper axis of its monolith XY stages. This would save on the overall moving footprint, but the square body of the stage would still be larger and heavier than it would need to be based on the required travel for the application.
“ALIO’s Asymmetric stages provide a solution with identical performance, lower moving mass, and a smaller static and dynamic footprint compared to their square-body designed, monolithic-series counterparts,” said Hennessey. “They also offer a lower working height than traditional XY stacks and without the tuning limitations of stacked assemblies. They provide customers with the exact X and Y travel ranges needed for their applications without the cost of excess travel that is not required and will never be used.”
