Precision motion leader PI (Physik Instrumente) has introduced their new air bearing stage and system capabilities at this year's Photonics West conference, to complement their comprehensive range of piezo nano positioning stages and hexapod micro positioning systems.

With the 2014 acquisition of Nelson Air Bearing Products of New Hampshire, PI is building on over 200 man-years of in-house air bearing experience to offer linear, planar XY, and rotary air bearing stages to serve both the research and industrial markets. The PI group offers comprehensive precision air bearing motion control and positioning products and systems, which are inherently frictionless, for smooth accurate motion.

By combining extremely responsive engineering consultative support and lean manufacturing techniques, PI is able to provide the highest quality customer service. Maximum performance of precision systems is achieved thru extensive design and analysis expertise, using equipment built in-house with proprietary techniques. A variety of precision air bearing products and integrated positioning systems are available from motorized linear and XY stages, rotary tables and stages, spindles, non-motorized components, and machining systems.

Why Air Bearings? As opposed to mechanical bearings, air-bearing positioners literally float on air, providing completely frictionless motion resulting in negligible hysteresis or reversal error, better straightness, flatness and velocity stability, which are ideal prerequisites for high-end industrial inspection and manufacturing operations. Similar motion quality can only be provided by magnetic levitation systems and flexure guided piezo systems, both technologies that PI also offers.

Extension of Existing Nanopositioning Capabilities With 4 decades of experience in piezo nanopositioning systems design and motorized precision positioning equipment, the new air bearing systems capabilities are a natural and logical extension of PI's precision motion offerings.

PI is now in the unique position to cover the whole motion range from finger-tip sized nano-positioners to large scale stages with long travel ranges, through a plethora of different drive and guiding systems tailored exactly to the customer's needs.

About PI PI is a leading manufacturer of precision motion control equipment, piezo motors, air bearing stages and hexapod parallel-kinematics for semiconductor applications, photonics, bio-nano-technology and medical engineering. PI has been developing and manufacturing standard & custom precision products with piezoceramic and electromagnetic drives for 4 decades. The company has been ISO 9001 certified since 1994 and provides innovative, high-quality solutions for OEM and research. PI is present worldwide with eight subsidiaries, R&D / engineering on 3 continents and total staff of 800+.

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Air Bearing Stage / Systems Introduced By PI At Photonics West