With the new N-664 linear positioning stage, PI (Physik Instrumente) has succeeded in developing a further groundbreaking piezo positioning system of the reference class. A NEXACT® piezo linear drive replaces the usual stepper or DC servo motor in the N-664, thus making a position resolution of far less than a nanometer possible. Aligned to it is the new PIOne optical linear encoder with a resolution of 0.5 nm, which allows for repeatable incremental motions of 2 nm. The N-664 is equipped with precise, loadable crossed-roller bearings made of stainless steel. They provide the micro linear positioning stage with the necessary load capacity and guiding accuracy for a dynamic operation with a maximum velocity of 10 mm/s. The PIOne linear encoder uses an interferometric measurement principle and can thereby provide very precise measurement results in the subnanometer range despite high speeds. As a direct linear drive, the NEXACT® drive is free from precision losses and can keep the position stable even when switched off. The drive does not have to be supplied with current and does not heat up.
