Press Releases from Physik Instrumente (PI) GmbH & Co. KG (62 total)
New piezo nanopositioning system: versatile, fast and compact with large clear a …
Large clear aperture, high control dynamics, fast settling times and compact dimensions: PI launches a new product line of linear nanopositioning systems for a broad range of applications. The P-630 stages are perfectly suited, e.g. for use in sensor heads or precision motion of objects in optical and tactile metrology as well as for microstructuring.
With travel ranges up to 80 µm and a direct piezo actuator drive, the compact positioning…
2 mm Travel Range - 20 Milliseconds Settling Time: New Objective Scanner with Pi …
New microscopy methods, such as two-photon microscopy, make it possible to record 3D stacks with up to 1 mm depth in biological samples. For this they require high-performance drives for positioning the objectives.
PI (Physik Instrumente) now developed the new N-725 PIFOC® objective scanner with piezo stepping drives especially for position-ing microscopy objectives. The N-725 provides travel ranges of up to 2 mm along the optical axis. At the same time…
New Version of M-663 Micropositioning Stage: Benefits of PILine® Drive Technolo …
Cost-effective with 2 µm step size. PI (Physik Instrumente) completes its product line of high-velocity M-663 micropositioning stages.
The new linear stage version M-663.5U is especially suited for positioning tasks in automation where a resolution of 0.6 µm and a step size of 2 µm are sufficient. The integrated PILine® linear motor provides push forces to 5 N and a maximum velocity of up to 250 mm/s over a 18 mm…
Small Size and High Resolution: New Miniature Stage is Only 24 mm Wide at a Reso …
Physik Instrumente (PI) has introduced the new LPS-24 series. At only 24 × 33 × 20 mm³, these new miniature positioning stages provide a travel range of 15 mm with nanometer-precision resolution.
The LPS-24 stages fulfil important requirements for the positioning of optical or mechanical components or for the adjustment and manipulation of samples in application environments with a confined space.
For the LPS-24 series, PI uses NEXACT® piezo stepping drives. These…
Modular Hexapod System for Fast, Economic and Precise Positioning
PI presents a modular concept for six-axis positioning systems. Due to its modularity, the high-precision parallel kinematics can be adapted fast and efficiently to customer requirements.
The six identical Hexapod struts are designed such that their length can be easily scaled. They include the required electronics for reference point switches, limit switches, position sensors and electronic commutation for the brushless DC motors. Their standardized joints allow to combine them with almost…
Convincing by its Price and Performance: New H-820 Hexapod Positions Loads of up …
A linear repeatability of 20 µm, and 200 µrad in the tip/tilt or rotational axes – these are important features of the new H-820 Hexapod from PI (Physik Instrumente).
The H-820 Hexapod is not as precise as the well-proven high-end six axes systems from PI. But with the performance characteristics of all its components perfectly tuned and selected for cost-efficiency, the new Hexapod can be offered at a favorable price.…
Dynamic, Precise and Powerful: The New Digital Controller from PI
Thanks to its high output power, the digital single-channel controller E-709.CHG from PI (Physik Instrumente) provides highly dynamic and nanometer-precise operation of piezo-based stages with high stiffness and electrical capacitance.
These positioning systems are mainly used in applications that require high throughput, e.g. in microscopy.
The digital technology of the controller increases its performance additionally. Digital control algorithms optimize the settling behavior and minimize linear deviation. Motion and servo-control parameters can easily…
The E-482 Power Amplifier / Controller Outputs 6 Ampere (A) Peak Current for Hig …
For applications, such as material testing for quality control purposes or highly dynamic control of valves in test stands, PI (Physik Instrumente) presents the E-482, a new high-power piezo amplifier / controller with 6 A peak current at 1050 V voltage swing.
The 19-inch bench-top amplifier is especially designed for the operation of piezo actuators with high electrical capacitance, such as the PICA piezo actuator series P-225 and P-235. This class…
Award-winning: PI (Physik Instrumente) as exhibitor from the very beginning – …
Precision is the motto – back then and today. PI (Physik Instrumente) has been an exhibitor for 40 consecutive years at the LASER World of PHOTONICS since 1973.
Now the world's leading trade show in laser and photonics industry celebrated its 40th anniversary and awarded PI with a prize for its long-term participation.
In the early days, PI started as a manufacturer of optical tables and accessories for laser beam steering. Today,…
"The Graceful Elegance of Precision": PI (Physik Instrumente) Combines Aesthetic …
What does it take for humans and technology to make it to the top? What is their driving force? What distinguishes a successful product from others? In its video "The Graceful Elegance of Precision", PI (Physik Instrumente) shows what it takes to achieve top performance by aesthetically combining human skills with technology.
At a first glance, the absolute harmony of the movements catches the eye, but there is a lot…
50 Hexapod systems from PI (Physik Instrumente) for ALMA, largest ground-based t …
50 antennas of the ALMA observatory use high-precision Hexapods from PI. Under extreme ambient conditions of the Atacama Desert, the Hexapods align the sub-reflectors to the large main reflectors of the radio telescopes.
The ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter Array) observatory currently is the most advanced telescope in the world; its antennas receive electromagnetic radiation at millimeter and sub-millimeter wavelength. ALMA provides imaging with up to now unachieved resolution and sensitivity. It…
High Precision Linear Positioners
A large variety of high precision linear positioners, XY stages and vertical linear stages is offered by PI miCos. These highly accurate systems are available with many different drive options from stepper motors to rotary servo motors and electromagnetic linear motors. Miniature stages with piezo motors are also offered.
Applications for these linear motion systems include semiconductor test equipment, photonics alignment, lab-automation, bio-nanotechnology, beam line instrumentation, aerospace technology,…
Four Axis Motion Controller: Flexible Device Concept for Specific Adjustments
The new C-884 motion controller from PI permits a vector movement of positioning systems with DC motors in four axes.
The four motor axes are addressed synchronously, start simultaneously and reach the target position at the same time.
Commands are given to the controller over a USB or TCP/IP interface, the encoder bandwidth is 50 MHz.
The C-884 has a dual-core architecture with a command interpreter, which runs on an ARM processor…
Application-oriented research boosts drive technology: A motor of progress
In the coming years, sectors such as the semiconductor industry, life sciences or biotechnology will continue to grow. Increasing requirements in these sectors often affect supporting technologies. A typical example of this is found in drive technology: Inspection and manufacturing systems in the semiconductor industry, for example, normally use air-bearing technology and magnetic linear motors. However, the requirements for precision will continue to increase up into the nanometer range. Such…
New Linear Positioning Stage from PI miCos Unites Force, Compactness and Positio …
PI miCos has extended its LPS series of linear positioning stages. The drive arrangement of the new, compact LPS-45 stage series is based on a piezoelectric inertia drive.
Using only minimal space, these linear positioning stages provide a combination of high force and high positioning accuracy that cannot be achieved with conventional drive arrangements, such as DC and stepper motors. LPS-45 stages provide a holding force or maximum driving force of…
Dynamic, Precise and Powerful: The New Digital Controller from PI
Thanks to its high output power, the digital single-channel controller E-709.CHG from PI (Physik Instrumente) provides highly dynamic and nanometer-precise operation of piezo-based stages with high stiffness and electrical capacitance.
These positioning systems are mainly used in applications that require high throughput, e.g. in microscopy.
The digital technology of the controller increases its performance additionally. Digital control algorithms optimize the settling behavior and minimize linear deviation. Motion and servo-control parameters can easily…
Extremely Cost-Efficient and Compact - PiezoMove® Linear Actuator P-604 for Ope …
The extremely cost-efficient and compact P-604 lever actuator supple-ments the portfolio of the PiezoMove® series. The linear actuator achieves a travel range of 300 µm and is exclusively designed for open-loop operation.
The P-604 PiezoMove® linear actuator features properties that make it ideal for OEM applications in optics, medicine, biotechnology and microfluidics: It is designed for a particularly cost-effective production of large quantities and its installation space is kept to…
First Steps Towards a Self-Sufficient Energy Supplier
Does a machine vibrate? Does a plate or a pipe oscillate? In that case, the released energy could be used to locally supply an electronic component with energy and thus dispense with batteries! In this way, for example, wireless sensors can monitor entire plants even in difficult-to-access places and thereby support automation.
The energy from vibrations and oscillations can be utilized with the piezoelectric effect. The sturdy, plastic-laminated DuraAct piezo transducers…
New Compact Controller for Hexapods
Hexapods from PI (Physik Instrumente) are indispensable for high-precision positioning in six axes. The parallel-kinematics Hexapods are offered as a system including a powerful digital controller and comprehensive software support.
Each Hexapod is now available in a package with a new compact controller (255 x 226 x 185 mm) that provides the full functionality at a lower system price.
The Hexapod continues to be available with the previous 19-inch rack unit…
High Precision in Six Axes
The H-811 miniature Hexapod from PI (Physik Instrumente) has very compact dimensions with a diameter of only 130 mm and a height of 115 mm. In addition to the vacuum version, it is now also available in an air version.
The H-811 offers travel ranges of up to 35 mm in the XY level and up to 13 mm in the Z direction. It is especially the large tilting angles…
Cost-Efficient Driver for Cost-Efficient Piezomotors
With the E-870 series for the piezo-based PIShift inertia drives, PI (Physik Instrumente) offers a series of drive electronics at various integration levels. Whether as OEM board, as a variant for 4-channel serial control, or as bench-top device in a case: The E-870 combines low costs with an extraordinary ease of operation. The driver can be configured and operated via a USB interface. Software drivers for Windows and LabVIEW facilitate…
New Compact Linear Drive
PIShift drives are compact and cost-efficient piezo linear drives from PI (Physik Instrumente), the Karlsruhe specialist for positioning systems. The drives use the stick-slip effect and, due to the high operating frequency of more than 20 kHz, they are noiseless.
The load is coupled to the moving rod. Typical applications of drives operating with this principle are the adjustment of optical and opto-mechanical components, cell manipulation as well as industrial applications…
High-Vacuum Positioning Systems Brochure from PI miCos
Auburn, MA, June 7, 2012 -- PI (Physik Instrumente) LP, a leading manufacturer of precision motion control equipment is now offering the PI miCos vacuum positioning systems product line. An overview of these high-end micro-positioners and nano-positioners is given in a new brochure, available for download from the PI website.
The brochure illustrates the company’s extensive experience in designing complex motion control systems for high-vacuum and ultra-high-vacuum environments, such as…
New Compact Linear Drive
PIShift drives are compact and cost-efficient piezo linear drives from PI (Physik Instrumente), the Karlsruhe specialist for positioning systems. The drives use the stick-slip effect and, due to the high operating frequency of more than 20 kHz, they are noiseless.
The load is coupled to the moving rod. Typical applications of drives operating with this principle are the adjustment of optical and opto-mechanical components, cell manipulation as well as industrial applications…
PI USA acquires MICOS GmbH Product Distribution for American Market
Auburn, MA and Irvine, CA, June 21, 2012 -- PI announces the next step in the acquisition of miCos GmbH. PI (Physik Instrumente) LP, the US operation of piezo and nanopositioning systems manufacturer Physik Instrumente GmbH, will now handle sales, distribution and service of miCos GmbH products for the US, Mexico and Canada effective June 1, 2012.
The distribution of miCos GmbH products will be integrated in PI’s…
Motorized Microscope Stage is Driven by High Accuracy Ceramic Linear Motors
Self-Locking Piezo Linear Motors and High Resolution Linear Encoders, Up to 10X Higher Stability
The self-clamping ceramic / ceramic linear motors in the M-687 XY positioner are not only more compact than electromagnetic motors, but also provide significantly higher positional stability for the following reasons: once in place, no energy is consumed to hold position (no heat dissipation); no leadscrews that heat up due to friction during motion and cause drift…
PI (Physik Instrumente) Expands Company Management
Karlsruhe – Physik Instrumente (PI) GmbH & Co. KG, the manufacturer of high-precision positioning systems, appointed new managing directors in April 2012 as part of the company's succession planning. Norbert Ludwig, Dr. Peter Schittenhelm, and Markus Spanner together with Dr. Karl Spanner, who takes on the presidency of the management, now constitute a committee of four which will lead the company in the future.
Dr. Karl Spanner, who celebrated his 65th…
Piezo for Medical & Life Sciences: New Brochure Available from PI
Auburn, MA, – Piezo specialist PI (Physik Instrumente) has published a new brochure on medical applications of piezo ceramic actuators, transducers and motion components. The “Piezo Drive Solutions for Medical Engineering” entitled PDF document is available for download at:
http://www.piezo.ws/Piezo_for_Life-Science_Medical.htm
Life-sciences and medical design equipment disciplines have multi-faceted requirements for motion control, spanning a spectrum from high-precision positioning systems to reliable, low-cost, and compact drive components with ultra-low power consumption.…
Fast and Efficient Positioning Drives
PI (Physik Instrumente), the Karlsruhe-based specialist for piezoceramic drive and positioning systems, offers ultrasonic piezomotors for different performance classes with their PILine series. Users can integrate these in stages themselves. The operation of ultrasonic piezomotors requires electronics that generate high-frequency AC voltage to excite the piezoelectric actuator to oscillations. The C-872 universal drive electronics is suitable for the entire range of PILine drives. A new type of power transfer prevents…
PI (Physik Instrumente) acquires a majority of shares in miCos GmbH: A big playe …
The Karlsruhe-based company PI has recently become co-owner of miCos GmbH in Eschebach, Germany. This allows PI to supplement its extensive micro- and nanopositioning portfolio with a specialist in the field of vacuum applications and system integration. PI thereby expands its range of fast, high-precision system solutions, especially in the area of micropositioning, with air bearing technology and linear motors, for example.
In the future, PI-miCos will function as a…
Precision without Position Sensor
Phase shifters are used in laser measurement to align optical path lengths. These move optics in the range of a wavelength, which corresponds to an adjustment range of less than one micrometer. It is crucial for the alignment to take place quickly and in a stable manner.
For the new S-303.BL phase shifter, PI (Physik Instrumente) replaces classic piezo ceramic PZT actuators (made of lead titanate - lead zirconate) with pico…
Low-Cost Three-Channel Controller from PI
The E-563 control electronics provides maximum resolution in three channels for classic nanopositioning systems. Although the price of this system is less than half of that of a fully digital high-end variant, the user still gets important performance features of PI (Physik Instrumente) controllers.
The E-563 supports the common sensor types used in PI positioning systems. It can be used for positioners with high-precision capacitive sensors and for low-cost systems with…
Perfectly Aligned Precision
With the new N-664 linear positioning stage, PI (Physik Instrumente) has succeeded in developing a further groundbreaking piezo positioning system of the reference class.
A NEXACT® piezo linear drive replaces the usual stepper or DC servo motor in the N-664, thus making a position resolution of far less than a nanometer possible. Aligned to it is the new PIOne optical linear encoder with a resolution of 0.5 nm, which allows for…
Compact Motion Controller: Nanometer Precision for Multi-Axis Piezo Systems
The performance of precision positioning systems equally depends on their mechanical systems and on the way they are controlled. Physik Instrumente (PI) from Karlsruhe, Germany, the specialist for piezo-based nanopositioning, has been relying on fully digital technology for more than 10 years now and adds the E-725 three-channel motion controller to its portfolio.
Thanks to digital technology, users have access via software to numerous parameters which optimize the settling time and…
Low-Profile Vacuum Precision Stage
Confined spaces in vacuum chambers require drives and positioning solutions which are particularly compact. With a height of only 21 mm the M-683.2V4 translation stage from Physik Instrumente (PI) is one of the flattest micro-translation stages on the market, and is now also available for use in vacuum environments to 10-6 mbar. An encoder resolution of 0.1 µm over 50 mm travel makes it ideal for tasks requiring a high…
Ultra-Low-Profile Precision Rotation Stage Thanks to PILine® Technology
With just 15 mm construction height, the M-660 rotation stage from Physik Instrumente (PI) is one of the slimmest micro translation stages on the market. A new version with a higher position resolution of 4 µrad now offers further application possibilities, for example in accurate inspection tasks. The new M-660.45 stage has a clear aperture of 35 mm in diameter. Compact combinations with linear stages are possible.
The unique PILine®…
Precise and Stable M-687 Microscopy Stages with Direct Drive
Physik Instrumente (PI) offers a new, fast, high-precision XY positioning system which has been optimized for applications with inverse microscopes: The M-687 XY stage. This stage provides travel ranges of up to 100 x 75 mm, and its large clear apertures of up to 160 x 100 mm can hold specimen holders as well as Z systems for specimen scanning. The currently available models can be used for inverse microscopes…
Mini-Hexapod from PI: Six-Axis Motion in Vacuums up to 10-6 hPa
In vacuum chambers, there is very little installation space for applications. Since the object to be moved is not permanently accessible, a flexible placement of the load (e.g. a sample) is particularly important.
The new M-811.STV Miniature Hexapod from Physik Instrumente (PI) offers the perfect solution. Due to its compact design, with a diameter of only 130 mm and a height of 115 mm, the M-811.STV offers travel ranges of up…
Compact, Digital Motion Controller for Nanopositioning
The single channel E-709 piezo controller from Physik Instrumente (PI) has been already introduced for piezo-based positioners and scanners which use strain sensors. Since the majority of the nanopositioning systems from PI employ such sensors, the E-709 allows significantly lower system costs in comparison to the digital controllers offered up until now.
The biggest differences between the digital and analog controllers are that you can influence all parameters directly through calculation…
Piezo-Based Linear Drive for Automation Technology
Linear direct drives have advantages over rotating electric motors for rectilinear motions in automation technology because the latter always have to use a spindle to convert the driving force into translational motion. An often undesirable aspect of conventional linear motors is that they are not self-locking and thus require holding currents which are associated with heat dissipation, high energy consumption and “positional jitter”. Piezo-based linear drives offer a solution here.
Physik…
They Go Through it With a Fine-Tooth Comb: PIFOC® Piezo Drives for Objectives
More and more techniques in microscopy, today, require an improved resolution. This often requires the combination of a large numerical aperture of the objective, that is a large clear aperture, and a large working distance along the optical axis. 3D images of living tissue are then possible, for example with the help of two-photon spectroscopy.
For this purpose, PI now offers a PIFOC® piezo Z-drive for objectives with a clear…
Industrial robot turns into precise machining system
Accurate machining is usually carried out with machine tools or machining centers. This means high costs and workpiece sizes limited by geometrical factors. It would be significantly cheaper and more flexible if industrial robots could be used instead, but their inaccuracy has so far made this impossible. This inaccuracy arises from the long serial kinematics chain with only low stiffness. A different approach is now possible. It has not been…
Fast steps with nanometer precision
Piezo stepping drives from Physik Instrumente (PI) can be combined with a high-resolution linear encoder for nanometer accuracy over the complete scanning range – and are now also available for PIFOC focusing systems for microscope objectives.
The new N-725 PIFOC scanner for microscope objectives with NEXACT piezo stepping drives provides travel ranges of up to one millimeter along the optical axis. At the same time the technology allows rapid positioning:…
Piezo controller with digital linearization
In contrast to conventional analog piezo controllers, the E-609 single- channel piezo controller from Physik Instrumente (PI) has a digital controller which can be optimized using software and USB service interface. Additional linearization methods improve the accuracy of the piezo system in comparison to completely analog devices by a factor of 10 from around 0.2% to 0.02%.
The E-609 is equipped with analog interfaces for commanding the position. It is…
Precise positioning solutions really can be low cost: Piezoelectric actuators fo …
Those who prefer to use OEM products for technical or financial reasons can now keep the investment costs at a relatively low level even for demanding positioning tasks. Physik Instrumente (PI) from Karlsruhe in Germany, now offers a number of lever-amplified actuators in its PiezoMove Series (Figure 1), which cover the level of integration between preloaded stack actuators (displacement up to around 100 µm) and complete, multi-axis stages in PI’s…
Digital motion controller now also available for low-cost piezo systems
The E-709 singlechannel piezo controller from Physik Instrumente (PI) now opens up the digital technology and its advantages to lower-cost systems in the accuracy class from one to 10 nanometers. It will initially support the strain gauge sensors (metal foil or piezo-resistive) which are used in lower-cost piezo systems. The requirements placed on these systems mean that components with a well-balanced price-performance ratio are used in the E-709. The D/A…
Fit for use in high vacuum
Positioning systems and linear actuators which operate on the basis of piezo ceramics are particularly suitable for use in high and ultra-high vacuum at pressures down to 10-10 hPa (mbar), because the motion is based on displacements in the crystal structure. Therefore no conventional mechanical elements such as shafts or gears are necessary and thus no maintenance or lubrication either. Neither is there a danger of an outgassing of the…
Piezocube for 3D structuring
PI's range of high-precision stages – the NanoCube P-611 XYZ nanopositioning systems - prove their ability in new fields of application. The cube sides only measure 44 mm, making it suitable for travel ranges up to 100 x 100 x 100 µm and easy to integrate. The stages are driven by piezo actuators and achieve resolutions of up to 0.2 nm at response times in the millisecond range. The basic…
XY stages with piezo linear motors – faster – low-profile – with new contr …
Physik Instrumente (PI) uses piezoceramic ultrasonic linear motors in many of its PILine positioning systems. This gives the stages not only a much lower profile but also makes them faster than comparable systems with motor/spindle drives.
PI manufactures low-profile XY stages with a profile height of less than 30 mm across the whole surface of the stage – there are no lead screw ducts, no flanged motors. A speed of 100…
Low-Cost Drive Electronics for Piezo Linear Drives
The compact NEXACT piezo stepping drives from Physik Instrumente (PI) push forward into a new performance class for linear drives: with high forces of 10 N, velocities of more than 10 mm/s, and at resolutions of a few nanometers they replace the typical stepper or DC servomotors in applications that depend on the combination of force and resolution on large travel ranges.
The E-862 driver electronics is the ideal control…
