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Precision vacuum actuators and vacuum-compatible positioning systems

Vacuum-Compatible Precision Motion

Precision Vacuum Actuators

Vacuum-compatible actuators and positioning stages use materials, lubrication concepts, motors, sensors, and cable designs selected for low outgassing and reliable operation in vacuum or UHV environments. They are used in semiconductor tools, beamline systems, microscopy, surface analysis, high-energy physics, and scientific instrumentation.

Vacuum Compatible Actuators and Positioning Systems

Vacuum motion systems require more than standard actuator performance. Materials must be compatible with the pressure range, lubricants must be avoided or selected carefully, heat generation must be controlled, and components must be designed for reliability where service access is limited. Piezo, PiezoWalk, vacuum-compatible motorized actuators, flexure stages, miniature tables, and hexapods provide different combinations of resolution, travel, force, and multi-axis motion.

Precision Vacuum Actuator Products

P-885 PICMA vacuum compatible piezo stack actuators

Ceramic Encapsulated Piezo Stack Vacuum Actuators

  • Piezo actuators are intrinsically vacuum compatible because of their ceramic nature
  • High-performance piezo motion for industrial and scientific applications
  • Ceramic encapsulation for long lifetime
  • Suitable for vacuum nanopositioning systems

PI piezo actuators are designed to combine ultra-high performance with long lifetime in industrial and scientific applications. Their ceramic construction and solid-state operating principle make them well suited for vacuum-compatible precision motion.

PDF Brochure | Vacuum Actuator Specs & Order Info

M-227K high-resolution DC-Mike linear actuator

Custom Motorized Micrometer Vacuum Actuator

  • Compact actuator design
  • Vacuum compatible up to 10-6 hPa
  • Non-rotating tip
  • Closed-loop DC motors

This custom vacuum-compatible linear actuator is equipped with rotary encoder and DC motor with gearhead for compact, closed-loop linear positioning in vacuum environments.

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N-470 linear actuator

Piezo-Stepper Manipulator for Vacuum

  • Step size 20 nm
  • Feed force 22 N
  • Holding force 100 N
  • Travel range 7 mm to 13 mm
  • Compact design
  • Lifetime >50,000,000 steps

This compact piezo stepper micrometer actuator is desinged for vacuum applications to 10-6 hPa. Ideal for set-and-forget alignment applications and sample manipulation.

Vacuum Actuator Specs & Order Info

N-331 high-force nanoprecision linear motor actuator

Nano-Precision High-ForcePiezo-Motor Linear Actuator

  • Sub-nm Resolution
  • 55 mm travel ranges
  • 12 mm/s velocity
    • Vacuum compatible up to 10-9 hPa
  • 50 N push/pull force
  • Self-locking at rest, no heat dissipation, nanometer stability
  • Non-magnetic and vacuum-compatible working principle

N-310 PiezoWalk® linear drives feature travel ranges up to 125 mm and push/pull force capacities to 10 N in a compact 25 x 25 x 12 mm package. They can be operated in open-loop and closed-loop mode with an external position sensor.

Vacuum Actuator Specs & Order Info

N-111 NEXLINE OEM linear actuator

OEM Linear Vacuum Actuator with PiezoWalk® Principle

  • Non-magnetic and vacuum-compatible working principle
  • Cleanroom compatible
  • Travel range 10 mm
  • Resolution to 0.025 nm
  • To 70 N holding force, to 50 N force generation
  • Self-locking at rest, no heat generation

The N-111 NEXLINE® OEM linear actuator is based on coordinated motion of preloaded linear and shear piezo elements acting on a runner. NEXLINE® drives combine long travel ranges with piezo-class precision.

PDF Brochure | Piezo Actuator Specs & Order Info

N-216 NEXLINE linear motor actuator

N-216 PiezoWalk High-Force Ceramic Vacuum Actuator / Linear Motor

  • Cleanroom compatible
  • Non-magnetic and vacuum-compatible working principle
  • 800 N holding force
  • Travel range 20 mm
  • Resolution to 0.03 nm
  • Self-locking at rest

NEXLINE® drives combine long travel ranges with piezo-class precision. The N-216 is a high-end actuator for high-energy physics, semiconductor, and nanotechnology applications with extreme precision and lifetime requirements.

PDF Brochure | Vacuum Actuator Specs & Order Info

M-663K vacuum compatible piezo-motor-driven miniature translation table

Custom Miniature Rodless Vacuum Actuator / Positioning Table with Ceramic Motor

  • Closed-loop linear motor and encoder
  • Travel range 19 mm
  • Vacuum compatible up to 10-6 hPa
  • Resolution 0.1 µm
  • XY combinations

This custom miniature linear table is vacuum compatible to 10-6 hPa and provides high precision positioning with direct metrology feedback.

P-733.2UD non-magnetic XY piezo scanning stage

Non-Magnetic XY Piezo Flexure Scanning Table for UHV to 10-9 hPa

  • Resolution to 0.1 nm with capacitive sensors
  • Travel ranges to 100 x 100 µm in X/Y and to 10 µm in Z
  • Frictionless, high-precision flexure guiding system
  • High-speed versions with direct drive
  • Parallel kinematics for better multi-axis accuracy and dynamics
  • Parallel metrology for active trajectory control
  • Clear aperture for microscopy

The P-733 XY piezo stage provides very high dynamics and resolution to 0.1 nanometers. It can be used for semiconductor metrology, AFM, scanning, and ultra-high precision alignment applications.

PDF Brochure | Vacuum Actuator Specs & Order Info

M-824 compact vacuum compatible 6-axis stage

Vacuum Compatible 6-Axis Stage - Hexapod

  • Compact 6-axis stage
  • Platform driven by 6 precision actuators
  • Travel ranges to 45 mm linear, 25° rotation
  • Load capacity to 5 kg, self-locking version
  • Actuator Resolution to 7 nm
  • Minimum incremental motion to 300 nm
  • Velocity to 12.5 mm/sec

The H-824 vacuum compatible 6-axis stage is based on six parallel actuators. Its flexibility makes it ideal for complex multi-axis positioning tasks. The hexapod can execute 6-axis commands and provides an arbitrary center of rotation that can be changed with one software command. More information on vacuum compatible Hexapods.

Vacuum 6-Axis Stage Specs & Order Info

Additional Vacuum Precision Positioning Systems

Visit the PI USA website for additional vacuum and UHV precision positioning systems from PI miCos.

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