A new 8-page brochure from Aerotech highlights its complete range of gimbals and optical mounts for high-precision elevation over azimuth positioning applications. Aimed at demanding research and manufacturing applications including mirror positioning, beam steering, target/star tracking, inertial gyro calibration and sensor testing, the range includes a choice of drive systems including brushless direct-drive, conventional servomotor or stepper motor drives with geared transmission and manually driven variants. The new full colour 8 page brochure is available on request in hard copy or as a downloadable PDF from the website. As with most of Aerotech's resource information, the brochure is available in both English and German language versions.
All Aerotech gimbals and mounts are built to exacting standards with a strong emphasis on highest precision bearings and finest quality machined housings to ensure superior stability. Direct-drive versions are preferred for the highest precision and most exacting applications. Direct-drive rotary technology eliminates the need for mechanical linkages, couplings, ball screws or gearboxes and when used with high precision feedback devices allows a significant improvement in accuracy and repeatability with further benefits of zero backlash, reduced vibration, lower noise and zero maintenance. At the top end of the range, the two axis AOM360D series gimbal will position to within +/- 1 arc-sec with a resolution of 0.055 arc-sec. Backlash-free, direct-drive brushless servomotors ensure 300 degree/sec speed performance with exceptional smoothness and high acceleration. Mirror or payload diameter is up to 500mm with a 50 kg load capacity.
The AOM360D has a thermal stability of better than 0.4 arc-secs per OC and industry best orthogonality and wobble specifications of just 3 arc-secs. The new brochure also features the new direct-drive brushless AMG series gimbal in a choice of seven models for 150 mm to 600 mm diameter mirrors with varying attributes to match the elevation over azimuth application specifics. These include models with superior high-speed performance for fastest tracking through to highest resolution for finest positioning. The range also covers models aimed at solving applications requiring high torque, small footprint, low profile, low jitter, smooth scanning and large payload capability. A useful lookup table compares the AMG range and the AOM360D to help engineers decide which direct-drive gimbal best suits their application for accuracy, resolution, repeatability, payload capacity, scanning smoothness, fine motion stepping capability, torque and in-position stability.
The new brochure features the AOM130M and AOM300 motorised gear driven gimbals which provide excellent stability and sub arc-second resolution for electro-optic, laser research and industrial twin-axis rotary positioning applications. The competitively priced range can be supplied with stepper or servomotor drives and the preloaded angular contact bearing system allows full loading in any orientation. The AOM130 series manually positioned gimbals have full 360 degree rotational freedom in both elevation and azimuth with sub-arc second positioning resolution over +/- 4 degrees. The range has been designed for negligible backlash and creep, with excellent thermal stability and vibration stability plus sub-arc second resolution for mirror and payload diameters of up 610 mm with loads to more than 250 kg. AOM105 and AOM110 manual optical mounts provide a micrometer driven elevation over azimuth positioning solution for mirror diameters from 26 to 305 mm. With sub arc-second resolution and +/- 4 mm or +/- 5 mm travel range, these mounts provide excellent thermal stability for demanding mirror positioning applications.
The brochure also covers Aerotech's custom design service for gimbals and pedestal mount elevation over azimuth positioning systems for rectangular mirrors or odd shaped payload configuration and for other specialist requirements such as high accuracy inductosyn position feedback. Aerotech are able to competitively design these specialist systems around the wide range of standard rotary stages or develop completely new designs for customer specific applications. Aerotech's gimbals and optical mounts are part of a wide range of standard and customised linear and rotary position systems and associated motion control platforms for medium to very high precision applications for high-throughput production, inspection and research based markets. Aerotech supply component level products for the customer to integrate into their machine as well as complete systems which are typically supplied with Aerotech's A3200 Digital Automation Platform.
This software based motion/machine control system for IEEE-1394 (Firewire(r)) equipped PC's combines synchronised motion control for up to 32 servo axes with fully integrated modules for HMI, machine vision and soft PLC functions. The A3200 includes comprehensive positioning commands to handle coordinated polar and cylindrical transformations which help to simplify elevation over azimuth motion control. Other control solutions from Aerotech include the SoloistTM, single axis digital servo controller. With its integral power supply and amplifier for brushed or brushless servo motors and stepper motors, it can provide an Ethernet based distributed drive solution with loosely coordinated point to point motion for up to 1000 axes.
Aerotech's system solutions always include matched and pre-tuned servo drives, motor power and encoder cables; all fully tested with comprehensive quality control information, assembly drawings, performance and motor parameter set-up data, helping OEM's and integrators with their own system certification. In addition full technical support and product training are always on hand. System commissioning is straightforward for the customer, requiring little more than connecting cables and applying power before programming application software. These features are built into every Aerotech product ensuring that the true cost of ownership is extremely competitive.