Motor Drives for Translation and Rotation Stages
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Almost any PI translation or rotation stage is available with a motor drive. Three different drives are available:DC Motor Direct Drives
Advantages of DC motor direct drives are high speed, acceleration and absence of vibration. Low heat dissipation at rest and fast response (ideal for tracking and contouring applications) are further advantages.Standard shaft mounted optical encoders provide resolution of 2000 counts/ revolution. Highest positioning accuracy is achieved with integrated linear encoders (available for M-500 series stages).
DC Motor/Gearhead Drive
Advantages of DC motor/gearhead drives are very high angular resolution and low power consumption (can be operated by PC controller boards without external amplifier). 3 Watt DC motors with gearheads and motor shaft mounted encoders are used. Encoders provide 2000 and 60 counts/revolution, respectively. Zero backlash motor/gearhead combinations are available for improved repeatability (C-136, click here).5 Phase Stepper Motor Drives
High resolution 5-phase stepper motors with 2000 steps/rev. are used. Low vibration, high angular stiffness and exceptional angular accuracy are the benefits of 5-phase stepper motors. These factors provide considerable advantages over conventional 2/4-phase stepper motors, which must use electronic micro stepping techniques (with several disadvantages) to achieve comparable resolution. Compared to DC servo motors stepper motors are especially suited in applications where predictable point to point positioning is required rather than fast response and extreme acceleration.
