Rotary stages for tight spaces

Aerotech Inc., Pittsburgh, PA, has unveiled new miniature gear-drive rotary stages for optics, measurement, alignment, and inspection.

The MPS-GR series rotary stages incorporate precision worm-gear drive and bearing components for accurate and repeatable positioning. They are available with DC servo or stepper motors, in two sizes: a 20 mm or 30 mm clear aperture. (The latter, which includes a manual adjustment knob, enables applications requiring a through-hole or accommodations to mount an optic, such as articulation of beam polarizing lenses, or through-holes for cabling or air lines.) The DC servomotors are equipped with a square-wave rotary encoder.

The MPS-GR rotary stages provide up to 80 arc-seconds accuracy, 1 arc-sec resolution, 6 arc-sec repeatability, and 180°/sec maximum speed. Top load capacity is 12 kg, with 40 arc-sec tilt error motion.

Optional vacuum preparation to 10^-6 torr, including a vacuum-rated motor/feedback connector, is available on both stage sizes. Also optional is a breadboard mounting plate for direct mounting to both English and metric optical tables, and a lens mount for easy mounting of standard lenses over the stage aperture.