Using MapleSim to model a six-strut kinematic mount for aligning optical components

摘要

Ray tracing simulations are often performed for an ideal situation of perfect alignment, but it is usually necessary to move optical components for various reasons. The mounts that hold these components can be complicated and modeling their motion is vital to understanding how they affect the performance of the system. This paper examines the behaviour of a six-strut kinematic mount using MapleSim to investigate and understand precisely how a mirror pole moves with its mount and quantify any cross-coupled motion that may occur during actuator adjustments. This positional information can be used to mitigate errors, improve ray tracing results, and assist in alignment.