Adjustment screws for optical stages

Newport Corp., Irvine, CA, has released new high-precision adjustment screws with a 170 thread per inch (TPI) count that makes them more sensitive vs. standard 100-TPI adjustment screws.

Increasing the TPI to 170 improves the screws' sensitivity by 43% over standard 100-TPI adjustment screws, the company says. It cites timed alignment tests using a mirror mount with the new adjustors consistently aligned within ± 3 μrad in about half the time as the same mount with 100-TPI threads.

The 170 TPI pitch screws are mated with collet and a proprietary lubricant to allow a full 0.5 in. (12.7 mm) of fine, stictionless movement. The standard 0.375 in. (9.5 mm) diameter collet is threaded with a nut for effortless mounting to optical mounts and stages. The screws are nonlocking, and can be worked with a knob or a 5/64 (2 mm) hex key.

Target use is in optical mounts, stages, and micrometer-compatible components.