LINEAR MOTION TIPS

SUMMARY OF LINEAR-MOTION POSITIONING STAGES,

INTEGRATION, AND PROGRAMMING

The editors of Design World Magazine TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S

and linearmotiontips.com with input
Positioning stages and integration...................... 2
from top linear-motion-component
manufacturers have assembled a
Sidenote on application examplesfor
library of questions they frequently get
positioning stages that use linear motors....... 3
from design engineers. This Design Guide
includes answers to some of those FAQs New classes of long-travel stages....................... 4
about positioning stages and gantries as
well as Cartesian setups that compete Basics of positioning-stage subcomponents:
against robotic designs. Here, youll What is a crossed roller slide?........................ 5
find information about how actuators
Integrated precision-motion systems.................. 6
assemble into these higher-level systems
for specific applications ... and an update Linear motion in the third industrial revolution... 7
on technology trends that are changing
how these integrated setups go together. Positioning stages are sum of their parts............ 8

Markets driving positioning-stage innovation..... 9

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Positioning stages and integration
Lisa Eitel, Senior Editor
Positioning stages today can satisfy specific and
demanding output requirements. Thats because
customized integration and the latest in motion
programming now help stages get incredible accuracy
and synchronization. Whats more, advances in
mechanical parts and motors are helping OEMs plan for
better multi-axis positioning-stage integration.
Few motion technologies show more recent
innovation than positioning stages. Their hardware and
software are increasingly custom to fit specific output
requirements, thanks in large part to tighter integration
and advanced programming. No wonder that todays
positioning stages can make moves with incredible
accuracy, synchronize complicated axis commands, and
optimize travel from coarse and fine drives in tandem,
closing the loop on one common position feedback.
Updated summary of positioning-stage trends in 2016:
Positioning stages lead charge to pragmatic design.
Key to these developments are steadily improving
mechanical components. Deeper understanding
of mechanical designs that best actuate newer
measurement and simulation techniques gets us
better dynamic performance. For example, with [true
mechanical] 1-nm minimum incremental motion, its now
possible to make extremely small and reliable steps with
existing designs.
Feedback and control innovations are also improving
metrology, particularly in high-end stages. Todays most
advanced encoders use novel optics that get nanometer-
scale resolution and repeatability out of stages with
many millimeters or inches of travel. Meanwhile, control
algorithms have advanced to the point that even large,
heavily loaded stages can perform sub-sub-micron
motions crisply and dependably.
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Shown here are QNP-L linear stages, QNP-XY stages and
QNP-Z (Z-axis) piezostages with a QLAB controller. The new
Aerotech Q-Series piezo nanopositioning stages and drive
electronics include feedback, bearings, power electronics and
controls designed from the ground upa costlier approach,
but one that supports the trend toward atomic-level positioning
resolution, repeatability and accuracy.
In the same way, advancing metrology techniques
and controls are getting increasingly stringent
performance from piezo-flexure stages that output high-
bandwidth actuation over multiple degrees of freedom.
These stages drive applications that were beyond the
realm of imagination just a few years ago
advanced microscopies that burst the Rayleigh
limit; semiconductor lithography that tracks Moores
Law down to the atomic scale; silicon photonics
manufacturing that integrates exquisite nano-optical
structures alongside next-generation microelectronics;
and genomics analyzers that are rapidly approaching
clinic-level affordability.
There are also advances in voice-coil linear motors
that output millimeter-amplitude motion over high duty
cycles with exacting force control.
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Sidenote on application examples
for positioning stages that use linear motors
More than half of all linear motors go into applications
for machine tools or the manufacture and assembly
of semiconductor components and electronics. Its no
wonder: Linear motors are the precise but generally
costly option to which other linear devices are compared.
In fact, applications for these relatively new motion
components also include those that need fast and precise
positioning, or slow and extremely steady axis traversing.
Depending on the type, linear motor speeds range
from a few inches to thousands of inches per second.
Theyre capable of unlimited strokes and (with an
encoder) accuracy to 1 m/100 mm. For this reason,
a variety of medical, inspection and material-handling
applications use linear motors to boost throughput.
Unlike rotary motors (which need mechanical rotary-
to-linear devices to get straight strokes) linear motors
are direct drive. So, they avoid the gradual wear of
traditional rack-and-pinion sets. Linear motors also avoid
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This is a Bell-Everman gantry system in a lab-automation
setup to process DNA. Medical applications are a main
driver for new positioning-stage innovation.
the drawbacks of rotary motors with belts and pulleys
for translation more specifically, limited thrust because
of tensile-strength limits; lengthy settling times; belt
stretching, backlash and mechanical windup; and typical
speed limits of 15 ft/sec or so. In the same way, linear
motors avoid lead- and ballscrew efficiencies (of 50 and
90%, respectively), as well as whip and vibration. They
dont force engineers to sacrifice speed (with higher
pitches) for lower resolution, either.
Related article on linear motion: linearmotiontips.com/
linear-motor-application-examples.
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New classes of long-travel stages

In the research realm, some manufacturers

have contributed new classes of long-travel
piezomotor stages that travel over millimeters
with nanoscale positional stability over long
intervals of many minutes. Combined with multi-
axis nanopositioning stages, these are assisting
the new post-Rayleigh microscopy techniques
to peer ever-deeper into the previously hidden
mechanics of life itself.
Stages in motion equipmentExamples and
videos: motioncontroltips.com/2015/03/04/tighter-
integration. This machine from Bell Everman uses polar
More end users are looking to buy pre-engineered coordinates CNC for dental milling and other
stages and Cartesian robots, and that trend reflects a micro-machining applications.
need for speed in industrial and research applications
alike. Todays innovation is fast, as new discoveries
and techniques continuously snowball to rapidly
empower new applications. Its no wonder that todays Improvements on linear-motion Cartesian stages
motion-equipment users want contributors instead of On larger-scale stages, an advanced philosophy is
component vendorswith technical prowess founded on the upfront design for multi-axis stackability versus
solid data rather than fanciful hype. stackability as an afterthought. Stacked stages should be
designed from the get-go with stacking in mind, rather
than bolting together stand-alone components using
brackets and the like. For instance, the chassis of an
upper stage in a stack can replace the top plate of the
lower stage, rather than adapting to it. This reduces part
count, height and tolerance stackups.

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Basics of positioning-stage subcomponents:
What is a crossed roller slide?

As their name suggests, crossed roller slides (also referred to

as crossed roller bearings) are linear bearings that use cylindrical
rollersas opposed to ballsto carry a load. The rollers ride This is a Newport long-travel stage that
between parallel guides in which v-shaped grooves have been makes translates to one nanometer of
ground. The term crossed refers to the fact that the rollers minimum incremental motion (MIM).
are arranged in a crisscross pattern; meaning that each roller is
oriented at a 90 angle relative to the one next to it. To control
their motion, the rollers are held inside a cage, similar to the caged
ball or ball chain design now common in many profiled railguides.
The cage, which can be made of resin or metal, prevents
roller-to-roller contact, reducing friction and avoiding premature
wear of the rollers. Resin cages allow rollers to be spaced closer
together, which allows more rollers in a given stroke length and
increases load capacity.

Frequently asked question:

linearmotiontips.com/what-is-a-crossed-roller-slide.

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Integrated precision-motion systems
Theres higher demand for integrated precision-motion
systems than in the past. The traditional mode of getting
multi-axis motion has been to stack individual linear
stages into X-Y-Z combinations. Then if a machine needs
more degrees of freedom, the builder adds goniometers
and rotation stages for theta X (roll), theta Y (pitch)
and theta Z (yaw). While modular and simple, this serial
kinematic approach isnt always best. It can be bulky and
can accumulate linear and angular positioning errors that
amount to a big surprise at the outputthe point where
it matters most to the application.
Related article:
FAQ: What are the main types of linear actuators?
In contrast, Stewart platforms as a superior approach
to multiaxis motion, at least for smaller and extremely
precise moves. The motion of hexapod platform robots
isnt defined by linear and rotary bearings, but by
mathematical algorithms in the controller. Advantages
are a user-defined center of rotation, also called the
pivot point; no accumulation of motion errors of
individual axes; no cable-management issues; lower
inertia and higher stiffness, as six parallel actuators
support a single platform; and an open aperture.
Hexapod designs abound.
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Note that most machines need utilities routed to the payload
or the next axis upair for pneumatic end effectors, signals
for feedback or vacuum linesso adding the motors cabling
to the cable management is unobtrusive. Thats why one
technical advance some have embraced is the moving-motor
design, in which the moving carriage contains the drive motor.
Here, linear-motor variants with long travel per overall
stage length excel. Maximizing travel per overall length is
relevant because many engineers design machines from
the outside inwardan approach that invariably leads to
requests for challenging travel length specifications within
a given overall length because the envelope has been
already set. Here, catalog stages are rarely capable of good
ratios. In contrast, moving-motor setups and machines with
multiple carriages on the same axis (or multiple bridges on
the base axes of a gantry) give better results.
Even so, conventional screw stageswith motor and
coupler on the stage endstill have their place. They are
generally simpler to implement when utilities neednt be
delivered to the payload or overall length isnt an issue.
In these cases, we typically depart from driven-screw
stages by embedding the motor coupler inside the stage
as on most planetary gearheads. This lets the coupler
occupy the same space as the carriage at the motor end
of travel. Theres no coupler housing, so motor length is
the only item that adds to the overall stage length.
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Linear motion in the third industrial revolution
According toThe Economistmagazine, a third
revolution is coming for the manufacturing industry,
ushered in by 3D printing, new materials, and
collaborative manufacturing services. Anyone who
has watched the 3D printing industry develop over
the past decade, or even the past five years, will likely
agree.Gartner forecasts that worldwide shipments of 3D
printers will reach over 217,000 units in 2015 and will
more than double each year between 2015 and 2018.
This is good news for manufacturers and distributors
of linear motion components and systems, because while
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This Newport FCL100 integrated stage has a built-in
controller. Its suitable for applications that need
advanced capabilities but must satisfy throughput
and cost constraints.
the processes may vary from stereolithography to laser
sintering to thermoplastic extruding the backbone of
virtually every 3D printer is a linear motion system. (For a
primer on 3D printing technologies, see the3D Printing
Industrys Beginners Guide.) And the 3D printing industry
provides opportunities for a wide range of motion
technologies, based on the diversity of its usersand the
printers intended purpose.
Related article: linearmotiontips.com/linear-motion-third-
industrial-revolution.
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Positioning stages are sum of their parts

Integration is key to getting the most out of stages, to operate over a Controller Area Network (CAN)
and that means machine builders must tailor controls interface, which is the same basic hardware used in most
to applications. In terms of technological advances for automobile and industrial networks such as CANopen
higher-performing applications, some are seeing that and DeviceNet. Unlike these protocols, however, some
integrated mechatronics are necessary and advances stage networks need no dedicated master or slave
in all mechatronics areas are really key motion- devices to operate.
innovation drivers. After all, a system is only as good Instead, all networked servo devices communicate
as its weakest link. So, if a designer has a great stage as equally ranked devices to share information and
solution and poor controls and drives, the end result is processing resources. For large parallel-axis gantry
an underperforming system. machines, synchronized commands let users combine up
What makes todays designs interesting is that all to three pairs of motors for full control of X, Y and Z axes.
the technologies used in stages continue to evolve. At any time, additional axes of motion may be added as
So now there are always smaller, more-accurate supplemental axes that are proportional to the master axis.
feedback devices, more efficient motors and drives, and This allows over 100 synchronized motion profiles at once.
higher-performing bearings that combine into better-
performing integrated stages. For example, some
nanopositioners have direct-drive motors built into
the stage. This makes a smaller package with better
thermal management and nanometer positioning.
Electronics with lower noise feedback
and better power amplifiers are drivers of
high-performance motion,
though perhaps a more
critical development is the
ever-advancing suite of control
algorithms boosting positioning
accuracy and throughput.
Controls also give
engineers more options
than ever for networking
positioning-stage axes.
Consider how engineers have
designed some communications

This hybrid positioning stage outputs four inches

of travel, sub-nanometer resolution, very fast
response, and velocity constancy. It combines
a servomotor and ball-screw drive with a piezo
flexure short-travel arrangement and a nanometer-
scale linear encoder. The controller runs both drives
and (depending on requirements) uses the servo
motor, piezo drive, or both to make moves.

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Markets driving positioning-stage innovation

Myriad industries are spurring changes in the design In semiconductor manufacturing, device scales
of integrated stages. In medical applications, research continue to diminish exponentially, and now the new
in neuroscience and biology now needs positioning era of silicon photonics is dawning, promising a step-
systems with performance levels that were unachievable function in energy efficiency and throughput in data
10 years ago. centers. Its currently a brilliant time for the design of
Another area getting a lot of attention is additive ultra-precision positioning stages, which is central to all
manufacturing. Theres a lot of research in academia and of these applications.
institutions to understand the process variables and limits
of manufacturing precision. Motion systems in the form
of positioning stages are at the heart of machines and
the metrology systems that characterize parts coming off
of these machines.
The packaging industry is another leading force
This hexapod robot from Physik Instrumente (PI) is a Stewart
demanding fast, embedded subsystems. Integrators platform that uses parallel positioning to get six degrees
specializing in packaging lines dont have time or of freedom, a freely programmable pivot point, and high
inclination to take multi-axis functions from scratch, axis stiffness and accuracy, all from a compact design. These six-
axis robots are often used for micro-assembly and precision
by axis. Nor is it practical to keep that kind of design optical alignment. Depending on the application, they pair with
talent around all year for a sporadic need. linear motors, piezo motors, or roller-screw drives having load
Some manufacturers have made embedded motion capacities from 5 lb to several tons.
subsystems to improve the overall machine design in
semiconductor wet-bench systems, portable medical-
imaging equipment, laser cutting machines and a dental
crown milling system. Large-format applications are also
leveraging new designs that splice together servo-belt
stages without length limitations or compromises in
repeatability. It is extremely expensive to do long-format
jobs with linear motors and difficult to do them precisely
with rack-and-pinions and nearly impossible to do well
with screws or conventional belts.

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