Excellent Guiding Accuracy
through Flexure Joints

A piezo stage with integrated
flexure guide achieves a guiding accuracy of only a few
nanometers or microradiansand excellent flatness

Flexure guides from PI have proven their worth
for nanopositioning tasks down to 2 mm.
The motion of a flexure joint is based on theelastic deformation of a solid. Therefore, there
is no static, rolling or sliding friction.
No Wear
Their advantages are the high stiffness, load
capacity and wear-resistance. Flexures aremaintenance-free, can be manufactured fromnonmagnetic materials, require no lubricants
or consumables and hence also function in a
vacuum without any problem.

Sub-Nanometer Accuracy
Flexures allow motions with extremely highpath accuracy. In order to compensate forheight or transversal offset, PI uses special
multi-link flexure guides. These guiding systems, which are implemented in most nanopositioning systems from PI, allow a flatness
and straightness in the sub-nanometer or
microradian range.

Flexures as Levers
The displacement of a piezo actuator can also
be multiplied by integrating a lever mechanism. The actuator is mechanically integrated
in a flexure joint in such a way that the travel
range is extended to up to 2 mm. Since simple
lever structures lose a considerable amount ofguiding accuracy and stiffness, however, thedesign requires much more complex geometries.
This lever mechanism with flexure guides transforms
the actuator travel range (vertical) to an even, straightmotion (horizontal)

WWW.PI.WS

The deformation of the flexure guides is checked with
FEM stress simulations

|POSITIONING

Headquarters

Subsidiaries

GERMANY

USA (East) & CANADA

USA (West) & MEXICO

Physik Instrumente (PI)GmbH & Co. KG
Auf der Roemerstrasse 176228 Karlsruhe
Phone +49 721 4846-0
Fax		 +49 721 4846-1019
info@pi.ws
www.pi.ws

PI (Physik Instrumente) L.P.
Auburn, MA 01501
www.pi-usa.us

PI (Physik Instrumente) L.P.
Irvine, CA 92620
www.pi-usa.us

USA (San Francisco Bay Area)

UK & IRELAND

PI (Physik Instrumente) L.P.
Sausalito, CA 94965
www.pi-usa.us

PI (Physik Instrumente) Ltd.
Cranfield, Bedford
www.physikinstrumente.co.uk

ITALY

NETHERLANDS

Physik Instrumente (PI) S. r. l.
Bressowww.pionline.it

PI Benelux B.V.
Sint-Oedenrode
www.pi.ws/benelux

FRANCE		SPAINPI France SAS
Aix-en-Provence
www.pi.ws

Micos Iberia S.L.
Vilanova i la Geltrú
www.pimicos.es

PI miCos GmbH
Freiburger Strasse 30
79427 Eschbach
Phone +49 7634 5057-0
Fax		 +49 7634 5057-99
info@pimicos.com
www.pi.ws
PI Ceramic GmbH
Lindenstrasse
07589 Lederhose
Phone +49 36604 882-0
Fax		 +49 36604 882-4109
info@piceramic.com
www.piceramic.com

JAPANPI Japan Co., Ltd.
Tokyo
www.pi-japan.jp

PI Japan Co., Ltd.
Osaka
www.pi-japan.jp

CHINA© Physik Instrumente (PI) GmbH & Co. KG
All contents, including texts, graphics, data etc., as well as their layout,
are subject to copyright and other protective laws. Any copying, modification or redistribution in whole or in parts is subject to a written
permission of PI.
Although the information in this document has been compiled withthe greatest care, errors cannot be ruled out completely. Therefore,
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
provided without prior notice.

Physik Instrumente(PI Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
Shanghaiwww.pi-china.cn

Physik Instrumente(PI Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
Beijing
www.pi-china.cn

SOUTHEAST ASIA

TAIWAN

PI (Physik Instrumente)
Singapore LLP
Singaporewww.pi-singapore.sg
For ID / MY / PH / SG / TH / VNM

Physik Instrumente (PI)Taiwan Ltd.
Taipeiwww.pi-taiwan.com.tw

KOREA
PI Korea Ltd.
Seoul
www.pikorea.co.kr

W W W. P I . W S

TEC64 Excellent Guiding Accuracy through Flexure Joints 10/2017 Subject to change without notice. © Physik Instrumente (PI) GmbH & Co. KG 2017

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