Author:

Abstract:

Planar (XY) motion is traditionally achieved by stacking two linear slides. Moreover, to achieve high system accuracy, stacking of two additional short-stroke high-resolution linear stages might be required. Downsides from this approach are bulkiness, a cumulative loss of stiffness, and cumulative in-plane and out-of-plane motion errors. Since these downsides all result from serial integration of the degrees of freedom, a system with parallel kinematics is proposed. As is shown in the above Figure, a ring-shaped rotor which holds either three or six Leuven piezomotors, has been built. The Leuven motor is an ultrasonic piezomotor with additional scanning and stick-slip drive modes. Its balanced design allows stiff fixation to the ring-shaped motor. The Leuven motors are therefore able to both carry and drive the system. Moreover, active out-of-plane stiffness regulation can be achieved. The design of the system and initial experimental results are presented.