Leica Geosystems AG benefits from PILine® ultrasonic motors employed in

their newest generation of surv eying instruments for geodesy. The

requirements for the drive of the new “Leica TS30“ total station were, amongst

others, higher speeds, shorter positioning times and a very high positioning

accuracy when moving the measuring optics.

These requirements were exceededby far through the employment ofPILine® ultrasonic motors. PI‘s U-164piezomotor was chosen for the vertical as well as the horiz ontalmovement of the measuring optics.Rotations are produced by two suchmotors which are preloaded againsta pivot mounted friction ring dou-bling as a brak e when at rest. Inoperation, the ceramic piezomotors

oscillate with ultrasonic frequencies.Generating a feed motion of thefriction ring. This principle of opera-tion provides unrivalled speeds of>180 °/sec and high accelerations of up to 360 °/s 2 and an angularmeasuring accuracy of 0.5 ‘‘. The drive also impro ves starting andstopping behavior and reduces power consumption. The mainten-ance-free motors are self locking, i.e.

Piezo · Nano · PositioningnewsIssue 40

NU

Z40

/E/1

1/09

/8 S

ub

ject

to

ch

ang

e w

ith

ou

t n

oti

ce ©

Phy

sik

Inst

rum

ente

(P

I) G

mb

H &

Co

. KG

Technical Progress with UltrasonicPiezomotors

Continued on page 2

they generate high holding forceseven when no electrical power isapplied, they run extremely quiet andoperate at ambient temperaturesbetween –20 °C and + 50 °C.

Contents Page

Technical Progress with Ultrasonic Piezomotors 1, 2

S-340 Tip/Tilt Mirror Platform with New Sensors 2

Rotation Stage with 720 °/s is only 15 mm High: PILine® TechnologyMakes it Possible 3

Advanced Piezo Control – New Control Concept for Faster Settling 3

PI nano™ Precision PostioningSystems for Microscopy 4

Increased Data Throughput with Real-Time Operating System Upgrade 5

Medical Engineering News: Driven by Piezo 6

Faster Switching with New PICMA®

Actuators and Amplifiers 7

Miniature Positioner withNEXACT® Stepping Drive 8

pi_091227_news40_uk.qxp 19.11.2009 9:13 Uhr Seite 1

2

As the abo ve example illustrates,ultrasonic piezomotors continuous-ly expand into new fields of appli-cation. Given their great flexibility,

it is hard to predict which applicationwill benefit next from these no veldrive systems.

The cross-section of the total station shows the limited installation space available for the drives

(Photo: Leica Geosystems AG, Switzerland)

Fast,Compact &EnergyEfficientOEM Ultrasonic Piezo Motors

The large S-340 piezo tip/tilt mirrorfor optics with diameters of up to100 mm (4 inch) is now equippedwith high-resolution strain gaugesensors. The S-340 thus achieves a resolution of 20 nrad at angles of 2 mrad about both orthogonalaxes. The resonant frequency for a mirror 50 mm in diameter is 900 Hz.

The S-340 can be operated by thenew, low-cost E-616 controller.Together, they form a compact,high-performance solution for

More Precise than Ever: S-340 Tip/Tilt Mirror Platformwith New Sensors

beam control and image stabili-zation as employed in astronomy,laser machining or optical metrol-ogy, for example.

U-164 ultrasonic piezo motorsare particularly compact, reliableand maintenance-free dri veswhich are self-locking when atrest and intrinsically non-mag-netic and vacuum-compatible.In the application, they provideas yet unri valled speeds andaccelerations while offering ahigh positioning resolution andlow power consumption.

With its PILine® series PI offersa broad range of positioningsystems with piezo ultrasonicmotors: From simple motor s to fully integrated customsolutions.

The rotations are produced bytwo U-164 ultrasonic motors thatare preloaded against a frictionring. (Photo: Leica GeosystemsAG/ Physik Instrumente (PI))

Angle MeasuringSystem (V)

EmitterGlass circle

Distance MeasuringSystem (EDM)

ReceiverEmitter

Angle MeasuringSystem (Hz)

ReceiverEmitter

Glass circleLaser Plummet

Emitter

Automatic TargetRecognitionSystem (ATR)ReceiverPower SearchReceiverEmitter

Automatic TargetRecognitionSystem (ATR)Emitter

Tilt SensorEmitterOil surface

Direct DrivesPiezo ceramicCeramic cylinder ring

Electronic GuideLight (EGL)

Emitter

S-340 tip/tilt mirror for opticaldeflection angles to 4 mrad

pi_091227_news40_uk.qxp 19.11.2009 9:13 Uhr Seite 2

3

The M-660 PILine® ultra-low-profilerotation stage opens up newpossibilities in fast positioning, frommicroscopy or biotechnology to testsystems of mass storage. The stageachieves a speed of up to 120 RPM.The integrated U-164 PILine® linearmotors provide a torque of 0.3 Nmand the stage is designed for amaximum load of 1 kg. These ultra-sonic piezo motors transfer force toa ceramic friction ring mounted onthe moving platform and they are self-locking when at rest. An integratedoptical encoder pro vides positionfeedback with 40 µm resolution.

M-660 in figures:

■ Ultra-low profile, 15 mm high, 35 mm Ø aperture

■ Maximum speed 720 °/s, directEncoder, 40 µrad resolution

■ Self-locking: Ceramic direct driveprovides significantly higherpositional stability than classicmotors

■ Compact combinations with translation stages possible

Advanced Piezo Control – New ControlConcept for Faster Settling

In addition to digital controllers basedon PID parameters, an alternative con-trol concept is available for the E-712modular controller for nanopo-sitioning systems: Advanced PiezoControl. The underlying principle is a state controller based on a model of the positioning system.Advanced Piezo Control acti velydampens the resonant frequency . This is in contrast to con ventional PID controllers with notch filter wherethe mechanical resonance is cut out of the excitation spectrum. Thebenefits are faster settling times andlower sensitivity with respect toexternal disturbances.

Order information:

E-712.U1Firmware extension Advanced PiezoControl control option

Advanced Piezo Control is also availablefor the E-753 single-channel controller.Ask your PI sales office.

Settling behavior of a system withoptimized PID parameters (blue) andAdvanced Piezo Control (pink)

Reaction of the closed-loop positioningsystem to an interference. When Advanced Piezo Control is used(green line) the resonance is not evenexcited by the external disturbance

E-712 modular digital controller fornanopositioning systems with up to 6 axes

Rotation Stage with 720 °/s is only 15 mmHigh: PILine® Technology Makes it Possible

Digital technology opens up oppor-tunities for improving performance incontrol engineering which are notavailable with conventional analogtechnology. These advantages liemainly in the improved precision andthe dynamic properties, and also theease of operation of PI’s positioning.

pi_091227_news40_uk.qxp 19.11.2009 9:13 Uhr Seite 3

4

nano™ Precision PositioningSystems for Microscopy

PI nano™ series comprising E-545 controller, P-545 piezo system and M-545 manual stage

The P-545 piezo stage provides 200 µmtravel per axis with sub-nanometerresolution. PI nano™ features a largeraperture for 1x3 ‘‘ slides.

Due to their low profile, PI nano™ piezo stages can easily be integratedinto existing microscope setups

Scanning microscopy methodssuch as single molecule fluo-rescence microscopy provide highlateral positioning resolution evenbelow the limitations of the nu-merical aperture. They require correspondingly precise samplepositioning with resolutions in the range of a few nanometers. ThePI nano™ system is designed sothat its performance data andrange of functions cor respondexactly to these requirements.

■ Piezo-based XY/XYZ nanposition-ing system with 200 µm travel for planar scanning and verticalfocusing/z-stack acquisition

■ Optional 25 x 25 mm coarse-positioning stage with manual orstepper motor drives, preloadedfor high stability

■ Nanopositioning system withlarge aperture and 20 mm lowprofile for easy integration intothe microscope

■ Mechanical compatibility withinverted microscopes from Zeiss,Nikon, Leica, Olympus

■ Accessories and sample holders

■ Powerful controller with USB andEthernet Interface, and extensivesoftware support

The new PI nano™ positioning sys-

tem from PI was specifically designed

for applications in optical microscopy.

The core component of the PI nano™is an XY or XYZ piez o nano-positioning stage with a low profileof only 20 mm and a large centralaperture for transmitted-light micro-scopy. The stage is equipped withlong-life PILine® piezo actuators andprovides travel ranges of 200 µm withnanometer positioning resolution.It comes with a matched piezo con-troller featuring a 24-bit interface(USB, Ethernet and RS-232) and ahigh-bandwidth analog interface.The contoller is suppor ted by allmajor image acquisition sof twarepackages.

An optional, manual XY stage forcoarse sample positioning can beequipped with stepper motor drivesif required. The preloaded XY stagecan be mounted directly onto themicroscope and it pro vides the stiffness required to carry a highlydynamic piezo nanopositioningsystem.

pi_091227_news40_uk.qxp 19.11.2009 9:13 Uhr Seite 4

5

Increased Data Throughput with Real-Time Operating System Upgrade

The use of real-time operating systems on the host PC eliminates delays in

the communication with other system components, e.g. a vision system,

providing deterministic temporal behavior at high clock rates.

can be used to integrate PI controlinterfaces and additional data acqui-sition boards. Open functions to im-plement customer specific controlalgorithms are provided. Data suchas positions and v oltages are re-corded in real-time and pre-defineddata tables are output in real-time.

■ User-programmable, real-timefunctions in C/C++, MATLAB/SIMULINK and SCILAB.

■ Included PI GCS server allows

PI offers a real-time module as anupgrade for the host PC. The moduleis based on Knoppix -Linux inconjunction with a pre-configuredLinux real-time extension (R TAI).Communication with the real-timesystem is based on a library which is 100 % compatible with all other PIGCS (General Command S et)libraries. All PI GCS host sof twareavailable for Linux can be run on this system. The real-time systemrunning in the real-time k ernel

M-810.0AMini-Hexapod with Larger Aperture and Space-SavingConnection

In addition to the standard M-810.00 miniature hexapod, PI now offers a modified versionwith cable exit in the direction ofthe Z-axis. The new model alsoprovides a larger free aperture of 59 mm Ø.

the system to be operated as a black-box via TCP/IP from a Windows computer.

■ The system can be installed on aPC or booted directly as a live ver-sion from the data carrier.

■ A free demo version with res-tricted functionality is available.

Order information:

E-712.U3 real-time operating systemupgrade for host PC

The upgrade is currently available forthe E-712 digital piezo controller withPIO interface.

pi_091227_news40_uk.qxp 19.11.2009 9:13 Uhr Seite 5

6

The continuing miniaturization in medical engineer ing places ever in-

creasing demands on the components. Piezo drives are the solution for many

motion control applications; the piezo effect efficiently generates fast

and precise motion while requiring very little space.

Custom piezo disks precisely dose liquidsand gases in the ThinXXS micropump.(source: thinXXS Microtechnology AG)

Efficient Aerosol Generation with

Piezo Elements

The treatment of respiratory diseasesoften involves medications beingadministered directly with atomizers.One method of atomization is togenerate very fine droplets with theaid of ultrasonic piezo ceramics.

Specially shaped piezo disks excite a stainless steel diaphragm withseveral thousand holes to executeultrasonic oscillations at more than100 kilohertz: this produces par-ticularly homogenous aerosols,allowing the medications to be dosedaccurately and administered in amore targeted way.

An annular piezo disk serves as an ultra-sonic transducer to produce the aerosolin the atomizer head of the eFlow® rapidElectronic Nebulizer series.(source: Pari Pharma GmbH)

Piezo elements from PI Ceramic. The broad spectrum of standard products issupplemented by custom engineered products, with the shortest-possible time-to-market

Moreover, the piez o technologyreduces the time required to atomizemedications by up to 50 % comparedto conventional systems increasingthe quality of life for patients withchronic diseases.

Piezo ceramics meet the specialhygiene requirements in medicalengineering; the aerosol generatorscan be steriliz ed at high tem-peratures, even in autoclaves. Theultrasonic operation is soundless for humans, and the low powerconsumption of the piez o com-ponents allows battery operation.

Piezoelectric Drives in Microfluidics

Piezo-driven microdispensers, i.e.micropumps and microvalves, candose minute volumes down to themicroliter range with very high ac-curacy. Disk-shaped piezo elementsmounted directly onto a metal micro-diaphragm provide the highly dy -namic drive for precision miniatureliquid or g as pumps. Due to theseparation of dri ve and mediumthrough the diaphragm, interferencewith the pumped media is completelyavoided.

Lab-on-a-chip applications are madepossible by the minute dimensions.

Medical Engineering News:Driven by Piezo

pi_091227_news40_uk.qxp 19.11.2009 9:13 Uhr Seite 6

7

Two PICMA® piezo actuator versions (5 x 5 x 18 mm ceramic type): Conven-tional multilayer actuator and actuatorwith a hermetically sealed stainless steel casing

E-618.10G High-power piezo amplifier:Single-channel, 9.5” version

Piezo actuators are driven with largecurrents when highly dynamicoperation is required in applicationswhere response times as shor t as 50 µs are necessary, such as fast valveswitching, microstructure analysis andmaterial testing. F or these appli-cations currents up to 20 Amps maybe needed and the new PICMA® multi-layer piezo actuators can handle themwith a patented external electrodestructure. The new electrodes will beavailable on the complete PICMA ®

family of actuators in the near future.

E-618: 3.2 kW Peak Power for NewPiezo Amplifier

The E-618 high power amplifier isnow available for ultra-high dynamicsoperation of the new PICMA® piezoactuators. It can output and sink a peak current of 20 A in the voltagerange between –30 and +130 V. Thehigh bandwidth of >1 5 kHz mak es it possible to exploit the dynamics of the PICMA® actuators. This type ofperformance is required in acti vevibration cancellation and fast valveactuation applications.

The E-618 comes with a temperaturesensor input to shut down theamplifier when the maximum allowedtemperature of the piezo ceramics hasbeen exceeded.This is a valuablesafety feature given the extremelyhigh power output.

The E-618 is available in several open-loop and closed-loop versions withanalog and digital interfaces.

PICMA® Actuators in ExtremeEnvironments

PICMA® multilayer piezo actuators aredesigned for maximum reliability evenin adverse conditions (see also newtest results on www.pi.ws/picma).

For applications with permanentlyincreased humidity or water spray,additional protection is now availablewith a stainless steel casing. Thecasing is hermetically sealed and filledwith an inert gas.

The external dimensions for a 5 x 5 x18 mm piez o ceramic are a mere 22.7 mm in height and 11.2 mm in diameter.

n bemounted by clamping or bonding;solder pins are provided at the bottomof the casing for electrical connection.

A white paper on the most recent lifetime testing results of PICMA®

multilayer piezo actuators is nowavailable in printed form and as PDFat www.pi.ws/picma.

Faster Switching with New PICMA®

Actuators and AmplifiersThe new, protected actuators ca

Recently granted PICMA® patents:

German patent no. 102005015405German patent no. 102007011652

pi_091227_news40_uk.qxp 19.11.2009 9:13 Uhr Seite 7

NU

Z40

/E/1

1/09

/8 S

ub

ject

to

ch

ang

e w

ith

ou

t n

oti

ce ©

Phy

sik

Inst

rum

ente

(P

I) G

mb

H &

Co

. KGMiniature Positioner with

NEXACT® Stepping Drive20 Nanometer Encoder Resolution

over 20 mm Travel Range – All Down

to the Drive!

The N-661 miniature translation stagecomprises a PiezoWalk® linear drive incombination with a high-resolutionlinear encoder

NEXACT® piezo stepping drivesreplace conventional steppermotors or DC servo-motors.

And not without reason:

■ NEXACT® drives securelyclamp the stage when thetarget position has beenreached. The drive does noteven need to be powered tomaintain a position, avoidingheat generation and servodither / micro-step dither

■ NEXACT® is two drives in one:In addition to the variable-sizestep mode, an analog mode isavailable to provide high-dynamic, continuous motionwith nanometer resolution

■ The drive is intrinsicallyvacuum compatible, non-magnetic and unaffected bymagnetic fields

USA

PI (Physik Instrumente) L.P.16 Albert St.Auburn, MA 01501Tel. +1 (508) 832 3456Fax +1 (508) 832 0506

5420 Trabuco Rd., Suite 100Irvine, CA 92620Tel. +1 (949) 679 9191Fax +1 (949) 679 9292info@pi-usa.uswww.pi-usa.us

JAPAN

PI Japan Co., Ltd.2-38-5 Akebono-cho,Tachikawa-shi,Tokyo 190-0012 JapanTel. +81 (42) 526 7300Fax +81 (42) 526 7301

Hanahara Dai-Ni Bldg. #7034-11-27 Nishinakajima,Yodogawa-ku, Osaka-shiOsaka 532-0011 Japan Tel. +81 (6) 6304 5605Fax +81 (6) 6304 5606info@pi-japan.jpwww.pi-japan.jp

UK & IRELAND

PI (Physik Instrumente) Ltd.Trent House, University Way,Cranfield Technology Park,Cranfield, Bedford MK43 0ANTel. +44 (1234) 756 360Fax +44 (1234) 756 369uk@pi.wswww.physikinstrumente.co.uk

ITALY

Physik Instrumente (PI) S. r. l.Via G. Marconi, 28I-20091 Bresso (MI)Tel. +39 (02) 665 011 01Fax +39 (02) 873 859 16info@pionline.itwww.pionline.it

FRANCE

PI France S.A.S.32 rue DelizyF-93694 Pantin CedexTel. +33 (1) 57 14 07 10Fax +33 (1) 41 71 18 98info@pi-france.fr www.pi-france.fr

CHINA

Physik Instrumente (PI Shanghai) Co., Ltd.Building No. 7-301Longdong Avenue 3000201203 Shanghai, ChinaTel. +86 (21) 687 900 08Fax +86 (21) 687 900 98info@pi-china.cnwww.pi-china.cn

Physik Instrumente (PI) GmbH & Co. KGAuf der Römerstrasse 1D-76228 KarlsruheTel. +49 721 4846-0 · Fax +49 721 4846-100info@pi.ws

Editor: Dr. Karl Spanner Editorial Staff: Steffen Arnold, Stefan Vorndran, Sandra EblerCreation & Design: Regelmann Kommunikation, PforzheimProduction: Systemedia, Pforzheim

Publisher:

Reprint only with permission and citation of source.

Tradeshows 2010

Jan, 23 – 24 Biomedical San Francisco (CA),Optics (BIOS) USA

Dec, 5 – 9 ASCB San Diego (CA), Booth 909Annual Meeting USA

Jan, 26 – 28 Photonics San Francisco (CA), Booth 917

West USA

Feb, 9 – 11 ATX West Anaheim (CA), Booth 4160(MD&M West) USA

Feb, 20 – 24 BioPhysical San Francisco (CA), Society USA

The extremely compact N-661 stageis entering the race with dreamdimensions – a footprint of 50 x 70mm and a very low profile of only 15 mm. Its travel range is 20 mm, themaximum speed 1 0 mm/s. Theposition is controlled by a directmeasuring encoder with 20 nano-meter resolution.

pi_091227_news40_uk.qxp 19.11.2009 9:13 Uhr Seite 8