ACCESSORIES
Anorad (Hauppauge, NY) introduced its Picostage precision positioning stage in May 1998. This compact micropositioner, with a claim to being the world`s smallest, measures less than 30 mm high and 48 mm wide, yet achieves accelerations to 1 g and velocities to 250 mm/s while providing submicrometer accuracy and repeatability. A piezo-ceramic linear motor drives the Picostage, providing the ability to accelerate and settle to position with great speed. It also provides an inherent braking action that holds stability to less than one count of the linear encoder. The motor produces no magnetic fields or heat and requires no scheduled maintenance. Servo control can be provided by an Anorad controller or by qualified third-party controllers. The small footprint and high performance make the Picostage ideal for applications in the semiconductor industry, medical and disk drive industries, and operations such as pick-and-place, probing, inspection, scanning, and packaging.