Six-Axis Alignment Across Multiple Optics at Once
Aligning multiple optics to a diode collimator assembly is a six degree of freedom problem at micro-scale tolerances. A photonics device manufacturer needed coordinated alignment across several optics at once, with motion synchronized so each element pivots about a defined point on a lens, a mirror or the device package. Soldering and test had to run faster and more repeatably, lifting throughput by an order of magnitude and cutting rework. A manual, error-prone documentation process had to give way to digital records that make a sensitive end product traceable.
One motion platform carried several 6-DOF aligners under an Automation1 controller, which coordinates up to 32 axes simultaneously. Purpose-built algorithms let any kinematic configuration pivot about a user-defined workpoint. Direct-drive ANT stages hold nanometer-level accuracy across tens of thousands of hours of continuous operation, and data capture tools tie the platform into the existing metrology system.
