What is the lead time for a standard product?
The lead time for standard products is typically 14 weeks ARO.
What is the lead time for a custom design?
The lead time for a custom design is 14 weeks from completion of the product design. The timeline for a product design is determined by the individual customer. The intricacy of performance specifications, the uniqueness of the footprint requirements, and the level of integration into the customer’s system all factor into the product design time. […]
How do you achieve “closed-loop?”
Our nanopositioners use piezo actuators to generate motion. The expansion of a piezo actuator is normally proportional to the driving voltage. In an open-loop system a linear voltage is applied for motion control. However, piezo actuators exhibit nonlinearity, hysteresis and creeping, which will be translated as positioning errors in the positioning system. The term “closed-loop” […]
What materials are your stages available in?
nPoint’s stages are available in Aluminum, Super Invar and Stainless Steel. Assuming the same mechanical design, an aluminum stage will have the highest resonant frequency, which will translate to higher scanning speeds and faster settling times. Aluminum exhibits a high strength to weight ratio making it an excellent choice for weight critical applications (e.g. aerospace). […]
What are the benefits of flexure stages?
Flexure stages employ a non-conventional ‘flexure bearing’ mechanism in the system, in which the moving platform is linked to a static base by flexure hinges. The platform’s movement, driven by piezo actuators, is guided by the flexure mechanism. The guiding motion is generated by elastic deformation of the flexure material. Therefore, the linkage is friction […]
What is the benefit of kinematic mounting?
The use of kinematic mounting virtually eliminates the effect of distortions that the piezo movement causes to the frame of the stage. It is assumed that the frame is rigid with respect to the part of the stage that moves; this is not true and can be detrimental to achieving true nanometer precision in positioning. […]