Trade.Information

Product Name: Air Bearings ABL8000

Product Description

• Active air preload on all air-bearing surfaces
• Integrated XY subsystems including granite 
• Travel to 1 meter
• Linear encoder or laser interferometer feedback
• High stiffness for heavy loads and excellent geometrical performance

The ABL8000 was introduced to meet the needs of high-performance applications. Leading-edge manufacturing, particularly in the semiconductor and data storage industries, demands positioning tolerances beyond the capability of conventional ball-screw and mechanical-bearing positioning systems. 

Air Bearing Design
The ABL8000 incorporates an active preload on both vertical and horizontal surfaces. The opposing thin-film pressure maintains the bearing nominal gap tolerance. This design, in addition to the large air-bearing surface that distributes the load over a large surface area, results in a stage with outstanding stiffness that is ideal for heavy or offset loading. 

Proprietary manufacturing techniques result in a stage with unsurpassed geometrical characteristics. The air bearing has an inherent averaging effect that maximizes performance. The thin film will fill small surface voids and allow for other irregularities. This characteristic yields superior pitch, roll, yaw, straightness and flatness specifications.

Linear Motor Drive
The driving force behind this stage is Aerotech’s BLM series brushless linear servomotor. Aerotech’s long history and experience as a motor manufacturer is reflected in this design. The BLM utilizes an ironless forcer, which means there is zero cogging and no attractive forces – resulting in unsurpassed smoothness of motion. Capable of generating high force and velocity, the BLM represents the ultimate combination of power and performance. 
Zero Maintenance
Our totally noncontact air bearing, noncontact linear motor drive, and noncontact feedback device ensure years of maintenance-free operation at the high performance levels that are expected of Aerotech equipment. Because there is no mechanical contact between moving elements, the ABL8000 experiences no wear or reduction in performance over time. Service life is virtually unlimited and since there is no lubrication – only clean, dry gas – air bearings are ideal for clean room and medical applications.

Cable Management
We carefully optimize the cable bend radius to ensure years of trouble-free operation. In the unlikely event of failure, Aerotech’s modular design makes cable replacement quick and easy with minimal downtime.

To facilitate integration into the final system, we include all customer-required cables, air hoses, etc. in our CMS bundle. Both ends are fully connectorized for simple integration into the customer’s machine.

Company Details

Aerotech: Dedicated to the Science of Motion in order to benefit our customers.

Since 1970, Aerotech has designed and manufactured the highest performance motion control and positioning systems for our customers in industry, ... more