Precision Rotation, Goniometers and Rotary Tables
Rotation stages, often called index tables or rotary stages, are mechanisms used to precisely rotate a sample or specimen with high angular accuracy. Motorized rotary stages make use of a motion controller and stepper motor or - when higher performance is required - closed-loop servo motor, position feedback and computer control. Better performance, speed control and higher acceleration is achieved when using a direct-drive rotary table. For test of optics, often rotary air bearings are used, because of their extremely low excentricity and wobble.
Motorized rotation stages use motion controllers, feedback and stepper, servo, piezo or torque motors to provide controlled angular positioning. Direct-drive rotary tables offer high speed, smooth motion, and no worm-gear transmission. Rotary air bearings provide the lowest eccentricity, wobble and friction, making them useful for optics, metrology and crystallography. Piezo-motor-driven rotary stages are compact, self-locking and stable at rest, while worm-gear rotary tables remain practical for high-load and vacuum-compatible positioning.
High speed, direct encoder feedback and maintenance-free power transmission.
Reference-class smoothness with minimal wobble, eccentricity and friction.
Ultra-compact, self-locking and stable with no heat generation at rest.
High load capacity, continuous rotation and practical vacuum configurations.
This compact closed-loop goniometer family allows stacking while maintaining a common center of rotation, ideal for optics and photonics alignment automation.
This compact closed-loop direct-drive rotary table uses a 3-phase motor for maintenance-free, frictionless power transmission.
The V-62x direct-drive ball-bearing rotation stages are designed for industrial precision, high stiffness, long lifetime, high repeatability, and excellent geometric performance.
Video: V-622, V-623 and V-625 ball-bearing rotation stages in action.
Two ultrasonic piezo motors driving a circular ceramic runner in an M-660 rotation stage.
The M-660 / U-651 rotation table uses ultrasonic piezo motors for high stability, fast acceleration, low inertia, and no heat generation at rest.
Application video of the silent ultrasonic piezo motor rotary stage in a Leica theodolite and PILine drive principle.
This miniature closed-loop rotary positioner is driven by an ultrasonic direct-drive motor and provides high rotational velocity with direct position feedback.
Video: Ultrasonic Motor Operating Principle.
These sub-miniature rotation stages are available in standard and vacuum versions. A ring-shaped ultrasonic ceramic motor provides high speed and an encoder provides position feedback.
Ultrasonic mini rotary stage operating principle.
Q-motion miniature rotation stages use inertia-type piezo motors for backlash-free direct drive, micro-radian resolution, and self-locking long-term position stability.
Low-profile air bearing rotary table, directly driven with 3-phase motor.
Custom 300 mm air bearing stage. Read article on large air bearing rotary tables for synchrotron crystallography.
PI air-bearing rotation stages provide reference-class rotary motion with extremely low eccentricity, wobble, friction, and wear.
Compact motorized air bearing stage video.
Spherical air bearing — 3 rotational degrees of freedom.
PRS-200 rotation stages handle high loads and provide large apertures for optics, photonics, and vacuum applications.
Stepper Motor Rotary Stages Overview | Stepper Motor Stage Article
M-06x rotation stages use ultra-precise spring-preloaded worm gear drives for continuous rotation in compact precision positioning systems.
M-116 rotation stages provide compact continuous rotation using low-friction, spring-preloaded worm gear drives.
The PI miCos line includes miniature rotary stages, goniometers, belt drives, worm-gear drives, torque motors, direct metrology and air bearings. Many versions are available for high vacuum and UHV.
Rotary positioners and goniometers | Download PI miCos Rotation / Goniometer Stage Brochure
This 3-axis parallel-kinematic precision positioner combines Z rotation and XY motion in a low-profile package.
This compact hexapod provides 6 degrees of freedom for complex motion profiles with programmable rotation centers in restricted or vacuum spaces.
P-5x8 piezo Z/tip/tilt nanopositioners provide high-resolution Z motion and two-axis rotation with a large clear aperture.
Goniometric cradles rotate samples and objects to a precise angular position around a fixed pivot point. Precision servo and stepper motors with high-resolution encoders are available.
The S-335 rotates a mirror around Θx Θy X and Y axes using solid-state piezo drives and a parallel-kinematic flexure design.
The S-340 rotates larger mirrors and optics around two orthogonal axes with solid-state piezo drives and parallel kinematics.
This miniature tilt platforms provide fast single-axis mirror rotation with very high resolution in a compact package.
Two ultrasonic piezo motors driving a circular ceramic runner in an M-660 rotation stage.
Ultra-slow animation of the PILine ultrasonic piezo motor. The ceramic tip moves on a pseudo-elliptical trajectory; in reality, the motion is only a few nanometers at ultrasonic frequency.
Rotary stages and goniometers both provide precision angular positioning, but they solve different alignment problems. A rotary stage turns a load around its own central axis and is the right choice when continuous rotation, indexing, or high-speed angular scanning is required. A goniometer rotates a load around an offset pivot point, making it better for optical alignment tasks where the center of rotation must coincide with a lens, mirror, fiber, detector, or sample.
When the application requires both angular and linear alignment, a parallel-kinematic hexapod can often replace multiple rotary stages, goniometers, and linear stages. A hexapod provides six degrees of freedom *=(X, Y, Z, ΘX, ΘY, and ΘZ) with a programmable virtual pivot point that can be placed anywhere in space. This is especially useful for photonics alignment, semiconductor packaging, aerospace testing, optical assembly, and precision automation.
In addition to classical worm gear rotation stages for ambient and vacuum environments, goniometer cradles are available, tip/tilt positioners , piezo mirror rotators with fixed center of rotation and even multiaxis parallel positioners such as hexapods with fully programmable center of rotation for three rotary axes.
Miniature and sub-miniature rotary positioners are now available in a variety of sizes, with profiles as low as 7 mm and rotation speeds as high as 1000 deg/sec.
Most positioning systems are also available for vacuum and high vacuum environments.
PDF Brochure: Motorized Ultra High Accuracy Rotation Stage Brochure
Rotatition stages can be added to linear or XYZ-stages for additional degrees of freedom.
Not all applications require rotation. If high precision linear motion only is needed, a variety of linear actuators are available.
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