Overview
The Luminos patented Ratio Drive™ system is a means of dividing down the motion of the actuator to give higher resolution at the output of a positioner stage. It means the output of the positioner stage is only a fraction of the movement of the actuator - increasing resolution and decreasing backlash (since no gears are used in the Ratio Drive™). This technique allows the use of a standard micrometer or stepper motor for enhanced, high precision alignment.
Note: Ratio Drives™ are used on the the X and Y axes (transverse to optical Z).
Luminos Ratio Drive™
25x Ratio Drive™
With the 25x Ratio Drive™, one half inch of micrometer travel is divided down 25.4 times, to give 0.5mm of travel at the output plate. Coarse adjustments using a set screw or knob add an additional 2mm for a total of 2.5mm of travel. When controlled by a B series stepper motor actuator, the X & Y stages achieve a resolution of 4 nanometers.
Products using the 25x Ratio Drive™:
5x Ratio Drive™
A 5x Ratio Drive™ divides the motion down by approximately 5 times so that one half inch of actuator travel becomes 2.5 millimeters at the output. With this option, there are no coarse adjustments and the full 2.5 mm of travel is available from the micrometer or stepper motor actuator. When controlled with a Luminos U series actuator, the X & Y stages achieve 10 nm of resolution, and can reach 5 nm when driven at 128 u-steps/full step. B series actuators deliver 20 nanometers of resolution on both the X & Y stages.
Products using the 5x Ratio Drive™:
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I3005 3-Axis Positioner (X, Y, Z)
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I5005 5-Axis Positioner (X, Y, Z, Yaw, Pitch)
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I6005 6-Axis Positioner (X, Y, Z, Roll, Yaw, Pitch)
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U3 and U6 Ultra Series Positioners
