Custom versions of the ABRT are available. (Photo: Aerotech)

June 8, 2007 — Aerotech‘s new ABRT rotary air-bearing stage series is designed to meet the exacting requirements of MEMS/nanotechnology device fabrication, wafer inspection, high-precision metrology, and other such applications.

The stages provide 360-degree continuous travel with resolution to 0.027 arc sec. Plus, the company promises exceptional velocity stability and error motion performance.

Payload capacity is up to 69 kg. The ABRT design features large air-bearing surfaces and preloading for high stiffness and load capacity. This, says Aerotech, produces not only excellent axial and radial error motions (asynchronous is <20 nm for each), but outstanding tilt error motion (asynchronous is <0.04 arc sec) as well. The company promises significantly better performance than other rotary air-bearing tables and spindles allow.

The stage family provides a clear aperture up to 50 mm in diameter that can be used for product feed-through, laser beam delivery, cable clearance, or application-specific requirements. It uses versions of Aerotech’s S-series slotless, brushless motor to maximize positioning performance. Aerotech explains that the S-series motor uses a magnetic circuit design to produce high-torque output with minimal heat generation, and that the slotless design is inherently zero-cogging and torque-ripple-free. Maximum speed is up to 1200 rpm.

Custom versions of the ABRT are available to satisfy rate table and high precision inertial guidance test-stand applications. Other features, such as slip rings and rotary unions, are available.