ARVADA, Colo. – Motion control specialist ALIO Industries in Arvada, Colo., is introducing the Hybrid Hexapod for 6D motion in applications that need flatness and straightness of motion plus stiffness, such as machining and bonding applications.
The Hybrid Hexapod technology allows for the provision of documented proof of performance over all 6 degrees of freedom of a body in motion at nanometer-level precision, says Bill Hennessey, president of ALIO Industries.
The Hybrid Hexapod is for nanometer applications in the optical, semiconductor, manufacturing, metrology, laser processing, and micro-machining sectors.
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While all hexapod motion systems operate within 3D space, and have errors in all 6 degrees of freedom, they typically have been characterized only by performance data of a single degree of freedom.
This practice leaves error sources unaccounted for in several degrees of freedom, especially in flatness and straightness, which are critical precision needs at the nanometer level. The Hybrid Hexapod is designed to overcome these issues.
"Because hexapods have six independently controlled links joined together moving a common platform, the motion error of the platform will be a function of the errors of all links and joints," Hennessey says.
ALIO Industries designed the Hybrid Hexapod to address the critical weaknesses of conventional legacy hexapod designs and stacked serial stages, and achieve nanometer-level accuracy, repeatability, and high-integrity flatness and straightness during motion.
It uses a tripod parallel kinematics structure to deliver Z plane and tip/tilt motion, integrated with a monolithic serial kinematic structure for XY motion. A rotary stage integrated into the top of the tripod provides 360-degree continuous yaw rotation, and customizes individual axes to provide travel ranges from millimeters to more than one meter, while maintaining nanometer-levels of precision.
For more information contact ALIO Industries online at https://alioindustries.com.
