V-622: Fast Precision Rotary Stages with Industrial Performance, Direct-Drive, and Ball Bearings

PI recently developed a new family of direct-drive, ball bearing rotation stages complementing the ultra-high accuracy A-621–A-627 family of direct-drive air bearing spindles. At present, the new ball bearing rotary stage family is provided with two platform diameters (V-622, V-623), and a larger stage (V-625) will be available in the future.

The new rotation stages have been designed for demanding 24/7 applications that need high accuracy motion with flatness and eccentricity deviations below 1 µm and together with high stiffness.

Focus on Higher Guiding Precision and Maintenance Free Operation

Depending on PI’s wide design and manufacturing knowledge with ultra-high-accuracy air bearing rotary spindles, the newly developed V-622 and V-623 mechanical bearing rotary stages offer outstanding performance regarding travel precision, flatness, and wobble.

The ultra-precise deep groove ball bearings have been preloaded and lubricated before delivery, implying they are easy to use for the lifetime of the rotation stage.

The new V-62X High Performance Rotary Stage Family with Ball Bearings. Image Credit: PI (Physik Instrumente) LP

V-622, V-623 and V-625 Direct-Drive Rotary Stages by PI USA - as seen at 2023 #Photonics #WestPlay

PI’s new Motorized Rotary Stage Family, as seen at 2023 Photonics West. Video Credit: PI (Physik Instrumente) LP

Operation in any Orientation

The new rotary stage family could be fixed and functioned in any orientation—horizontal, vertical, and hanging—a crucial feature for many industrial automation applications.

Direct-Drive Torque Motor—Friction-Free and Maintenance Free

For quick acceleration and an extensive dynamic range, the V-622 and V-623 direct-drive rotation stages are fitted with three-phase torque motors, transmitting torque instantly and friction-free to the motion platform.

The benefits of a direct-drive design over a worm-gear drive are higher velocity and acceleration, quicker response, and the total lack of backlash, friction, and wear in the drive train.

Incremental and Absolute Measuring Encoder Options

Absolute encoders supply definite position information that allows the direct determination of each angular position—a great benefit over the conventional way of beginning at a home position and constant counting of encoder output increments.

Position information is instantly available following power-up without referencing, enhancing efficiency and safety during operation.

Motion Controllers

Single-axis and multi-axis, ACS-based motion controllers and servo drives come to power and regulate the new rotary stages in single-axis or multi-axis, multi-degree-of-freedom sub-assemblies—also from PI.

Application Fields

Optics and Photonics, Sample Inspection, Semiconductor Testing & Inspection, Metrology, Measuring Technology, Industrial Automation, Precision Micro-Assembly, Biotechnology

Why Use High-Performance Direct-Drive Rotary Stages / Spindles

High-precision ball-bearing rotary stages (rotary spindles) are vital in various scientific and industrial applications.

Such stages have been developed to rotate objects, from machined parts to high-accuracy optics, with high speed, resolution, and accuracy,offering operators the potential to accurately regulate the angular position and orientation of their samples or equipment.

The fundamental design of a direct-drive rotary spindle comprises a circular platform forced by a combined and non-contact torque motor. A range of ball bearings assists the platform. The secret to a smooth, even, and low-friction operation comes from the balls' consistency and the raceways' accuracy.

The ball bearings utilized in high-accuracy rotary stages should be made from high-quality materials to guarantee the utmost durability and reliability. They are precision machined to exact tolerances,ensuring they are ideally spherical and offer a smooth and uniform rotation.

One of the primary needs for high-accuracy rotary spindles is remarkable accuracy, with the least eccentricity, wobble, single digit microradian bidirectional angular repeatability, and sensor resolution of more than 0.01 µrad.

This level of precisionis vital in an extensive range of scientific and industrial applications, like metrology, optics, laser processing, and semiconductor manufacturing.