Home >> Air Bearing Stages >> AHL9000 Air Bearing Stage

The AHL9000 is the latest addition to Aerotech’s family of air-bearing stages and is an excellent choice for applications that require careful balancing of price and performance. This stage has been designed for demanding applications that require excellent step and scan performance. Applications include wafer inspection, flat panel display manufacturing, and optical inspection and fabrication.

Hybrid-Bearing Design
The AHL9000’s scan axis was designed using proven air-bearing technology developed for the ABL9000 planar air bearing. This axis uses active preload on both the vertical and horizontal surfaces in order to provide outstanding stiffness and dynamic performance. The AHL9000 also takes advantage of the cost-effectiveness of a mechanical bearing step axis. The combination of these two bearing technologies in one stage provides a system that is optimized for step and scan operation.

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 latest 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.

High Performance
Noncontact linear encoders with submicron repeatabilities are standard on all AHL9000 series stages. Optional 2D factory calibration is available to further increase the standard accuracy, straightness, and yaw specifications to even finer precision.

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.