Multi-Axis Manual Positioning Guide

Overview

Many of Newport's Manual Linear, Vertical, Rotation and Goniometric Positioners and Tilt Platforms have been designed to operate together so that they can easily be combined into countless cohesive multi-axis positioner assemblies. By matching types of materials and motion characteristics among the types of positioners, and by designing the stages to connect to each other in the most convenient and efficient ways, individual stage performance in one axis is maintained in a multi-axis assembly. Moreover, the footprint and envelope of a multi-axis system is minimized while load capacity is maximized. Below are examples of high-performance multi-axis positioning systems that can be assembled with complementary Newport manual positioners.

High Load Capacity Steel Stages

The UMR linear stages, UTR rotation stages, MVN vertical stages and TGN tilt platforms are all constructed from steel for high rigidity, stability and load capacity. The UMR's double-row ball bearings, UTR'S crossed-roller bearings and MVN's inclined ball bearing races combine with fine adjustment screws to provide smooth, high-precision motion. These steel manual stage families offer a wide variety of sizes and travel ranges to suit your application.

6-DOF-STAGES
Assembly with 6 degrees of freedom: two UMR8.25 linear stages (XY), an MVN80 vertical stage (Z), two TGN80 tilt platforms (θXθY) and a UTR80S rotation stage (θZ).
OM-umr825_utr80-S
An XYθZ assembly with a UTR80 rotation stage (θZ) mounted on top of two UMR8.25 linear stages (XY).
MVN-UMR-ASSEMBLY
An XYZ assembly with an MVN80 vertical stage (Z) mounted on top of 2 UMR8.25 linear stage s (XY).
NW_TGN_UTR80
Pitch, yaw and roll adjustment with a UTR80S rotation stage (yaw) mounted on top of two TGN80 tilt platforms (pitch and roll).

ULTRAlign™ Precision Fiber Optic Alignment Stages

ULTRAlign Precision Fiber Optic Alignment Stages feature full stainless steel construction and are designed for the precise, robust alignment of optical fibers with less than <100 µrad of angular deviation. They are available in various configurations and are fully compatible with a variety of other ULTRAlign fiber alignment positioners and accessories such as tilt/rotation platforms and goniometer to offer multi-axis alignment systems with both linear and angular control.

6-AXIS-ULTRALIGN
6-axis 561 Series ULTRAlign Precision Fiber Optic Alignment assembly with 561-GON goniometer (θX), 561-GB bracket and 561-TILT tilt/rotation platform (θYθZ) attached to a 561D-XYZ linear translation stage (XYZ).
03-314-S
5-axis 562 Series ULTRAlign Precision Fiber Optic Alignment assembly with 562F-TILT tilt/rotation platform (θYθZ) attached to a 562F-XYZ linear translation stage (XYZ).
17-234-S
5-axis fiber to waveguide to fiber alignment assembly with 561D-XYZ-LH and 561-FH on the left, 561D-YZ and 561-UM in the middle, 561D-XYZ, 561-TILT and 561-FH on the right.
17-233-S
6-axis objective lens to bare fiber alignment assembly with 561D-YZ and 561-OBJ on the left, 561D-XYZ and 561-GM on the right.

Gothic Arch Steel Stages

The 906X Series Gothic Arch Ball Bearing Steel Linear Stages feature bearing ways machined directly into their steel stage bodies, resulting in optimum stability in temperature-fluctuating environments and the best pre-load force maintenance over time. They are available as 1-, 2- and 3-axis systems in a variety of sizes and travel ranges. To add pitch and yaw control, our complementary 906X-PY Steel Pitch and Yaw Platforms are available in various sizes that match their corresponding 906X gothic arch stage for easy mounting.

GOTHIC-PITCH-YAW
A XYθYθZ assembly with a 9062-PY 40-mm square platform providing pitch and yaw (θYθZ) control mounted on a 9062-XY linear stage (XY).

Versatile Aluminum Stages

Our 4X3 ball bearing linear stages, 4X6 crossed-roller bearing linear stages, 481 rotation stages and 3X multi-axis tilt platforms are constructed from aluminum, a cost-effective, lightweight material resistant to cold flow or creep with a good stiffness-to-weight ratio. Aluminum stages can be used for a wide variety of experiments and are well suited for general laboratory applications. These manual aluminum stages are offered in a wide variety of sizes and travel ranges to suit your application.

433-rotation
An XYθZ assembly with a 481-A rotation stage (θZ) mounted on top of two 433 or at the bottom of two 423 linear stages (XY).
NW_36_423GRP
A XYθYθZ assembly with a Model 36 tilt/rotation platform (θYθZ) mounted on top of two 423 linear stages (XY).

Compact Stages

The DS linear stages, RS rotation stages and GON goniometric stages are compact aluminum stages for laboratory, production or industrial OEM applications. The dovetail slides of the DS linear and GON goniometric stages are more resistant to shock compared to other types of bearings and are fairly immune to contamination. Each stage family offers 40- or 65-mm square and diameter platforms in a low profile, allowing them to easily be combined to provide multi-axis positioning in a condensed envelope.

6-AXIS-COMPACT-AJS
A compact 6-axis positioning system with matched 65-mm platform stages: DS65-XYZ linear stage (XYZ), GON65-L and GON65-U goniometers (θXθY) and RS65 rotation stage (θZ).
MC-GON40___PZA12___RS40
Compact pitch, yaw and roll adjustment with matched 40-mm platform stages: RS40 rotation stage (yaw) mounted on top of GON40-U and GON40-L goniometers (pitch and roll).

Miniature Stages

The MT linear stages and MT-RS rotation stages are miniature aluminum stages with a 1-inch (25.4-mm) square platform and 0.5-inch (12.7-mm) optic diameter, respectively. The MT's dovetail slide and lockable precision positioning make it ideal for OEM and static system integration. The MT-RS features a brass worm-gear drive and integrated slip clutch to provide both coarse and fine continuous adjustment.

MT-multi-axis
A miniature XZθY assembly with an MT-RS rotation mount (θY) connected to an MT-X linear stage positioned for vertical (Z) translation by mounting to a PS-Q pedestal cube, attached to another MT-X linear stage providing horizontal (X) translation.