PI Ultra Precision Motion Control / Linear Slide / Piezo Stage: Datasheets: F-206 HexAlign™ Six-Axis MicroMotion Robot & Alignment System ; PI: Leader in Nanopositioning, Piezo Technology, Piezo Stages, Piezo Motor

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F-206

HexAlign™ Six-Axis MicroMotion Robot & Alignment System

Compact, Low-Profile, Six-Axis MicroMotion Robot
PivotAnywhere™ Fully Virtualized Center of Rotation - Pivot About any Point in Space
Automatic Alignment (Transverse and Angular)
Alignment Routines for Collimators and Arrayed Fibers/Components
Digital Controller with Built-in Photometer, or Compatible with External Metrology
High Speed, Fast Settling
No Moving Cables, for Improved Reliability, Easy Setup, Reduced Friction
Automatic Path Planning
Open Source LabView™ Drivers, DLL Libraries...

6D Alignment
The F-206 HexAlign™ Six-Axis MicroMotion Robot is based on PI's ultra-high-resolution Hexapod technology, developed for aligning optics in astronomical telescopes more than a decade ago. It provides six degrees of freedom, 0.1 µm minimum incremental motion (six-axis move!) and the unique PivotAnywhere™ capability. PivotAnywhere™ allows the user to define the center of rotation (pivot point) anywhere, inside or outside the F-206 workspace envelope, with a single software command.

Compact, Plug & Play
The F-206 is considerably more compact and accurate than conventional multi-axis stage stacks. Its novel parallel kinematics design (see Principles of Operation, see link) and powerful, all-digital 6D controller has a vector based design to compensate for unwanted motions.

Furthermore, orthogonality and crosstalk issues, which are a formidable assembly and service concern for stacked multi-axis units, do not affect parallel-kinematics systems. There are none of the servo-tuning and dynamic setup procedures necessitated by the widely varying effective loads on stages in a stacked assembly. The F-206 is truly a plug-and-play motion system that requires no servo adjustment or tuning. Its operation is fast and crisp, with uniform dynamics, regardless of the direction of motion. Another advantage of the F-206 design is that there are no moving cables to limit repeatability with friction and no cable management issues to be resolved when integrating the unit.

Working Principle
The basic operating principle of the F-206 is related to the Hexapod principle (PI also offers other types of Hexapod MicroMotion robots, e.g. the M-850, see link). Unlike hexapods with variable-length struts ("legs") the F-206 features constant-length struts. This concept provides the following additional advantages over "classical" variable-strut-length Hexapods:

Reduced size
Reduced inertia for im-proved dynamic performance
Independent, modular, identical drive/strut units, simplifying assembly and service
All six struts are driven with individual industrial-class servo-motors and encoders

Photonics Packaging
Optical Device Testing
Collimator Alignment
Arrayed Component Alignment
MEMS Positioning/Alignment
Fiber Alignment
Micro-Machining
Micro-Manipulation (Life Sciences)
Semiconductor Handling Systems
Microsurgery

F-206 HexAlign™ System with Digital Controller (figure shows model F-206.00D with display and keyboard). PI's Hexapod controllers perform sophisticated six-space coordinate transformations and path planning internally, automatically. This makes the systems very easy to use, as the unit speaks in terms of familiar X, Y, Z, θ_X, θ_Y, θ_Z coordinates with millimeter and degree units (4-decimal-place precision).

Parallel kinematics of constant-strut-length Hexapod system shows how little mass (basically only the top platform) has to be supported and moved by the six drives. This explains why the F-206 is considerably faster in terms of step-and- settle than standard "stacked" multi-axis systems, where each stage has to support and move it's own platform and the mass of any other stages above it. Also, note that, unlike serial kinematics systems, there are no moving cables to cause friction, tension or torsion to limit accuracy and repeatability.

HexControl software: manual operation. 3-D view of F-206 platform in space in reference to origin and pivot point.

HexControl software. Display shows an optical device scan

F-206 Interferometer test. Y-axis step & settle performance.

F-206 Interferometer test. X-axis accuracy and repeatability of 20 consecutive 0.1 µm steps in both directions.

F-206, top view

F-206 digital controller

Models	F-206

Mechanics	6 degree-of-freedom parallel-kinematics micropositioning system

Travel range θ_X, θ_Y, θ_Z	±5 deg

Travel range X , Y , Z	±6 mm

Design resolution X, Y, Z	33 nm

Minimum incremental motion X, Y, Z	0.1 µm (6-axis move!)*.

Minimum incremental motion θ_X, θ_Y, θ_Z	2 µrad (0.4 arc sec.) (6-axis move!)

Velocity range X, Y, Z	0.01 to 10 mm/sec

Load capacity	2 kg (centered and normal to mounting platform)

Connector/cable	Mini-Delta Ribbon, 68-Pin / 6 x 15-pin sub-D, 3 m cable

Controller	Digital Hexapod controller with built-in photometer and internal scan & automatic alignment functions

Operating voltage range	100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz

Software	LabView™ Drivers, Arrayed Component Alignment Software, DLL Libraries, HexControl Scan & Alignment Software, Terminal Software


* No moving cables! No friction, bending or twisting forces induced by moving cables as with stacked units.