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Aerotech’s FiberCouple 130 is the first system designed to meet the unique demands associated with fiber coupling. Accurately coupling a fiber requires a stage system that is capable of opposing motion, is very accurate in the axial direction, and offers outstanding velocity stability. The FiberCouple 130 optimizes all of these requirements in a compact, precise package.

Dual Carriage Design
A single set of linear bearings ensures that axial motion is true. This approach eliminates the need for cumbersome and time-consuming stage alignments typical of traditional approaches. This compact design also offers greater range of motion for each carriage by allowing each carriage access to the entire range of travel.

Linear Motor Drive
Years of experience serving the OEM marketplace are reflected in this system, which has been designed for 24/7 operation. The linear motor drive of the FiberCouple 130 is a noncontact device, which means there is no maintenance or parts to wear. And unlike a screw-based system, the performance of the stage doesn’t change over time, making it the ideal solution for low-maintenance, full-scale production.

Since the linear motor is a direct-drive device, there is no backlash, windup, or friction normally associated with a lead-screw or ball-screw drive. The resulting velocity stability is far superior to alternate technologies.

Synchronized Control
Axes can be operated in a synchronized mode or independently. When synchronized, the position and velocity of each axis is precisely coordinated. They can be commanded to operate in the same or opposite directions with a constant, synchronous velocity. Axes may also be controlled independently, which is useful for setup and load/unload operations. Since both modes are software enabled, users may alternate between them during a single process.

Control Platforms
All of Aerotech’s industry leading motion controllers are available to drive a FiberCouple 130 system. Available platforms include the A3200, Ensemble™, and Soloist™ controllers as rack-mount or panel-mount configurations. All Aerotech controllers come with a range of flexible software packages. These include easy-to-use Windows^®- based user interface software, LabVIEW^® drivers, and C and Visual Basic^® libraries.