Engineered Systems
L E A D I N G A U T O M AT I O N S O L U T I O N S F O R M O T I O N & P O S I T I O N I N G

W W W. P I . W SFrom the Initial Design to Delivery
Working Closely Together for the Best Solution

PI designs and manufactures to a wide variety of precision motion technologies,
including air bearings, linear motors, piezoelectric drives, flexure guides andmag-lev systems, to name a few.
PI’s Engineered Systems Division integrates these components into custom motionsystems. Complete solutions, fitting seamlessly into existing processes that advan­ce automation in major industrial and research installations for applications such asn S emiconductor inspection and productionn P hotonics alignment, test and packagingn L
 aser micromachiningn A dditive nano-manufacturingn S urface metrologyn B iotechnology

Post-delivery service is an essential part of PI’s philosophy and includes commis­
sioning and on-site installation as well as training and maintenance support.
How PI Engineered Systems Works:“The most important thing is tounderstand the customer’s task. Ourengineers have extensive experiencein implementing and qualifying thesystems. In order to achieve the maximum benefit, we also consider thelocal constraints right from the verybeginning.”
Dr. Marthe Kaufholz,
Head of Product Division
Engineered Systems

 efinition phase: Together, we identify current issues
1. D
and the goal of your new motion system

2. C
 oncept phase: Brainstorming about the bestsolution in close cooperation with your and our engineering teams
3. T he resulting solution is converted into a Technical and Business Proposal
4. T he design and detail phase begins after your approval
5. T he system is then assembled and tested, and - after your approval - delivered
6. Y ou end up with a fully functioning system, and avoid losing timetrying to integrate components from different suppliers
2W W W. P I . W SPerfect Motion and Positioning
Engineered Systems Benefit from the Broadest Technology Portfolio for the Most Demanding Tasks

From High-Precision Drive Components to the Turnkey Solution
Precision components, stable control and a great deal of experience in engineering
are essential for high-precision complex motion and positioning solutions. PI
supplies all components the positioning stages, sensors, motion control and software on all levels of integration.
Core Competencesn A pplication support and consulting for motion and positioning applicationsn R eliable and prompt series production even for large quantitiesn E
 conomic designn C ommissioning of turnkey solutionsn C omplex multi-axis designs and parallel kinematic roboticsn B road spectrum of technologies: Piezo and motor based drives;

flexures, mechanical guide or air bearings; high-resolution sensors
n I n-house motion control electronics and software platformn C
 ustomized software integration such as Epics, LabVIEW, Tango, …

This 20-ton, 56-axis motion system is used for x-ray microscopy and quality assurance of x-ray optics. It is equippedwith 56 motors, 16 controllers, 7 air bearing granite sliders and has an overall mass of more than 20,000 kilograms.
An extraordinary precision of some hundreds of nanometers over the full range could be achieved.

3MOTION|POSITIONING

Partnering Research & Industry
From 1-off to Series: Maximum Flexibility for Customized Products

A modern production management and an integrated management system allow PI to guarantee the high quality of its pro­ducts, processes, and services.
The continual improvement of organization and processes is an
integral part of the corporate culture. KAIZEN workshops andan active innovation management are important elements forachieving this.
The production processes for the standard range are madeflexible by the fractal production structure and it is therefore
possible to manufacture even large series with full process con­trol.
Active, system-based requirements management makes it pos­sible to dispense with comprehensive storage facilities.

Vertical Production Range and Production Capacity
The product spectrum ranging from the two-ton hexapod to the10-gram nanopositioner requires PI to have the equipment andtechnologies at its disposal that allow the systems to be manu­
factured, assembled, and qualified.
n 1
 3,000 m² of overall production spacen 5
 ,000 m² for cleanroomsn A
 ir-conditioned and vibration-proof measuring conditionsn V acuum chambers for startup and residual gas analysisn M easuring technology with traceable, calibrated measuringequipmentn M onitoring of piezo actuator technology from material

composition to final inspectionn I n-house manufacturing of positioning sensors
n P roduction hall with measuring technology for heavy loadsn F
 ractal production organization

4

W W W. P I . W S

PI’s Global Services

Start-Up, User Training and Life Long Support
PI is dedicated to supporting its customers’ right from the initial consultation through to when acustomer has purchased a PI system. But we don’t stop there, PI’s services division is committed toensuring that every aspect of owning a PI system is catered for. Every customer is unique with theirapplication, environment, challenges and the way they like to be supported. As such, PI have a seriesof packaged service offerings to cover most customer demands, but in addition to that, PI can design
bespoke flexible s­ ervice packages that are tailored exactly to match each customer needs.
PI’s Standard on-Site Servicesn S
 et up and Commissioning – On-site support to un-box,

set-up and commission the PI system.
n T raining Program – User training on software and programming,

through to optimization of system performance.
n S upport – On-going remote and on-site support to maximize

system uptime and provide maintenance for the whole life of any system.

5MOTION|POSITIONING

Throughput, Precision and Reliability
Solutions for Motion-Centric Industrial Automation

Gantry Systems – High-Dynamic Precision
Positioning in 3 Axesn	Linear motor or brushless drives, optionallywith air bearingsn	Individual travel ranges in XY up to 2 mn	Z-axis with pneumatic counterweight,

DC or Stepper motorn	Piezomotor for fine adjustmentn	Incremental or absolute encodersn	Controlled by ACS Motion Control

The specifications below are an example of what isfeasible. Contact PI to discuss your requirements!

Unit
Active axes

XYTolerance

ZMotion and positioning
Travel range

508

508

155

Integrated sensor

Optical linear
encoder, incremental

Optical linear
encoder, incremental

Optical linear
encoder, incremental

mm

Sensor resolution

0.002

0.002

0.002µm

Unidirectional repeatability

0.5

0.5

0.5µm

typ.

Max. velocity*

3000

3000

2000

mm/s

typ.

Max. acceleration**

303020m/s2

typ.

Ball bearing

Cross roller bearings
kgmax.

Ironlesslinear motor

Ironless linear motorwith pneumaticcounterbalance

Mechanical properties
Bearings

Ball bearing

Load capacity

5Motor type

Ironlesslinear motor*	Maximum speed based on stage capability. Maximum application velocity may be limited by system data rate and system resolution.
Maximum speed of the z-axis is specified without pneumatic counterbalance.
** No load. Maximum acceleration of the z-axis is specified without pneumatic counterbalance.

XY and Gantry Systems from PI
Positioning and motion tasks in industrial automation such as those in assembly, semiconductor manufacturing,mechanical engineering, laser material processing, inspection systems or in additive manufacturing demandsolutions that need to be robust and reliable.
PI offers a broad range of in-house drive and motion control technologies such as EtherCAT-based industrial
controllers by ACS, where PI holds the major shares, or air bearing technology for optimized guiding accuracy.
System engineering for customization and a global service and training network are added-value offers. PI is
therefore the ideal partner for motion-centric industrial solutions.

6W W W. P I . W SExperience in Custom Solutions
Examples from Research and Industrial Projects

18-Axis double alignment system provides fast NxM alignment of SiP
devices in wafer probers. Cascade Microtech’s pioneering CM300xi
photonics-enabled engineering wafer probe station integrates PI’s
Fast Multichannel Photonics Alignment systems for high throughput,
wafer-safe, nano-precision optical probing of on-wafer Silicon Photon­
ics devices. (Image: Cascade Microtech, a FormFactor company)

This system for the automated assembly and alignment of
the optical fibers on a silicon photonic chip integrates several
hardware components and software, such as pick-and-placerobot technology, image processing, or devices for precision
positioning

Wafer inspection system with integrated linear motor axes for fast
precision XY scanning. Stepper motor axis for fine vertical posi­tion of the inspection equipment. Front page: Double-sided wafer
inspection system in a flexible 15-axis configuration

The touchscreen is scanned with a precise and controlled force.
A 6-axis hexapod adjusts the contact angle with microradianaccuracy. This integrated system consists mainly of standard
stages and is used for automation of inspection processes7MOTION|POSITIONING

|POSITIONING

Headquarters

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Fax		 +49 721 4846-1019
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Phone +49 7634 5057-0
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info@pimicos.com
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Phone +49 36604 882-0
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Osaka
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we cannot guarantee for the information being complete, correct andup to date. Illustrations may differ from the original and are not bind­ing. PI reserves the right to supplement or change the information
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W W W. P I . W S

CAT133E Engineered Systems Group 09/2017 1.0. Subject to changes without notice. © Physik Instrumente (PI) GmbH & Co. KG 2017

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