Design Considerations for Long Travel Z-Axis Ultra-Precision Positioning Stage

摘要

Considering the recent technological advances in precision engineering and the concurrent progresses in biomedical research including numerous surgical operations, the development of precision positioning systems capable of executing large travel in vertical direction with nanometer scale resolution or simply Z nano-positioner has become inevitable. The motion in Z-axis is typically achieved by mounting a planner stage on an L-bracket which often has low force capacity and lacks compactness. In many applications, compactness is desired, yet long travel ranges are highly demanded. The actuator must provide enough output force to lift a mass mounted on it along with positioning platform weight against the effect of gravity. Therefore, design criteria and features for a novel compact positioner capable of lifting mass with long stroke and nanometer accuracy have been presented and discussed. In the designs, two major challenges have been faced and solved: proper installation of the actuator within the stage and perfect alignment of the actuator to the stage. An embedded actuator can provide the benefits to the structure of being realistically compact and the friction surfaces not being exposed to dust or any other contamination.