Motion control experts Christopher Mock and Dr. Simon Kapelke shed light on the development process of PI's active damping and vibration compensation solutions.
“Developing new concepts, from simulation to prototype in collaboration with our customers: This is how we drive innovation in ultra-precision motion control”.
Technology Leadership: Integrating Active Vibration Control w/ Nano-Precision Motion Control | PI
Technology Leadership: Integrating Active Vibration Control w/ Nano-Precision Motion Control. Video Credit: PI (Physik Instrumente) LP
Given PI's emphasis on motion and precision, integrating active vibration compensation into motion systems becomes a natural progression. In this context, emphasis is placed on compactness and performance improvements.
When discussing active vibration compensation, it is evident that the fundamental concept and requirements are not groundbreaking. Numerous solutions catering to various applications exist in the market.
What's special about PI’s technology, it actively suppresses disruptions caused by motion components on top of the optical table, rather than removing vibrations from the outside.
Typical high-precision motion control solutions may involve an isolating device, a frame countering external disturbances, and, atop it, mounting a high-precision positioning device - or perhaps a PI system.
Close collaboration with the customer is always beneficial to establish a shared understanding of the application's requirements and the solutions that the company can provide.
Typically, this collaboration involves an iterative process, including concept adjustments, model refinement, and parameter identification.
Once the customer's requirements are clear, the construction of models and a virtual system for simulating and analyzing the situation is initiated. The iteration continues until the customer is assured that the solution represents the best achievable outcome.
Image Credit: PI (Physik Instrumente) LP
Combining Motion with Active Vibration Control
The absence of outside disruptions becomes crucial when aiming for nanometer precision. Without managing vibrations in real-world scenarios, even top-notch nanopositioning systems face limitations. PI's innovation lies in merging motion and active vibration control into a single system, enhancing precision significantly.
PI created an innovative process to improve the modal decoupling of the customer's mechanics. Once this technology was applied and the comparison between activating and deactivating it was observed, the outcome was groundbreaking.
The joint efforts of a large team led to a highly effective solution. This collaborative approach, involving the creation of new ideas with customers, running tests, crafting initial models, and ultimately materializing concepts, embodies PI's approach to driving innovation.
Image Credit: PI (Physik Instrumente) LP
Integrated Motion and Active Vibration Compensation in Brief
Smart Fusion of Technologies: PI's approach merges high-precision actuators and sensors with advanced control strategies to actively dampen and compensate for vibrations.
Dealing with Eigenmode Frequencies: Mechanical structures amplify disturbances at eigenmode frequencies due to forces acting on the motion device's frame.
Damping of External Disturbances: Actively dampening disruptions from the environment, like the floor, machine frame, or suspension, is crucial to ensure stability and minimize negative impacts.
Suppression of Internal Vibrations: PI’s technology actively suppresses disruptions caused by component motion on the tabletop.
This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by PI (Physik Instrumente) LP.
For more information on this source, please visit PI (Physik Instrumente) LP.