ABL1500WB-B Air-Bearing, Direct-Drive Linear Stage with Bellows
The ABL1500WB-B – with its integral bellows, air-bearing design, exceptionally high stiffness and excellent geometric characteristics – meets demanding positioning tolerances beyond the capability of conventional ball-screw and mechanical-bearing positioning systems. Dual linear motors double the force output of a standard ABL1500 stage. Service life is virtually unlimited and because air bearings need no lubrication – only clean, dry gas – making these stages ideal for cleanroom and medical applications. The integral bellows system provides a high level of environmental protection.
- Description
- Specifications
- Dimensions
- Ordering Info
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Design Features
- Integral bellows protect the drive & bearing system from contamination
- Wide base for large offset loads
- Powerful dual linear motor drive
- Air-on-air preload on all air-bearing surfaces
- Linear encoder feedback for nanometer-level resolution
- High stiffness for heavy loads & excellent geometrical performance
- Four models with travels from 200 mm to 500 mm
Key Applications
ABL1500WB-B air-bearing, linear motor stages are ideal for applications in leading-edge industries, including:
- Semiconductor manufacturing & inspection
- Lithography
- Surface metrology
- Photonic device manufacturing
- Advanced packaging
- Laser microprocessing
- Synchrotron, beamline & other research applications
Leading-edge industries demand positioning tolerances beyond the capability of conventional ball-screw and mechanical-bearing positioning systems. The ABL1500WB-B, with its integral bellows, exceptionally high stiffness and excellent geometric characteristics was designed specifically to meet those demands.
Air-Bearing Design for High Dynamic Performance
The ABL1500WB-B incorporates an air-on-air preload on both the 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.
Aerotech’s proprietary manufacturing techniques result in a stage with unsurpassed geometric characteristics, which maximize performance by yielding superior pitch, roll, yaw, straightness and flatness specifications.
Linear Motor Drive
The driving force behind this stage is Aerotech’s BLMC series brushless linear servomotor. The BLMC utilizes an ironless forcer, which means there is zero cogging and no attractive forces, resulting in unsurpassed smoothness of motion.
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 expected of Aerotech equipment. Because there is no mechanical contact between moving elements, the ABL1500WB-B experiences no wear or reduction in performance over time. Service life is virtually unlimited and because there is no lubrication – only clean, dry gas – air bearings are ideal for clean room and medical applications.
Cable Management System (CMS)
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.
We include all customer-required cables, air hoses, etc. in our CMS bundle to facilitate integration into the final system. Both ends are fully connectorized for simple integration into the customer’s machine.
Integral Bellows
The ABL1500WB-B uses an integral bellows system to provide a high level of environmental protection. This system protects the air bearings and drive system from process-generated contamination like abrasive debris. The design also has been optimized to minimize the influence of the bellows on the stage’s geometric performance.
ABL1500WB-B Specifications
| ABL1500WB-B-200 | ABL1500WB-B-300 | ABL1500WB-B-400 | ABL1500WB-B-500 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel | 200 mm | 300 mm | 400 mm | 500 mm |
| Accuracy-E1-Calibrated (-PL2)(1) | ±0.7 µm | ±0.8 µm | ||
| Accuracy-E1-Standard(1) | ±8.0 µm | ±12.0 µm | ±16.0 µm | ±20.0 µm |
| Accuracy-E3-Calibrated (-PL2)(1) | ±0.5 µm | ±0.6 µm | ±0.75 µm | |
| Accuracy-E3-Standard(1) | ±5.0 µm | |||
| Repeatability (Bidirectional)-E1(1) | ±0.25 µm | ±0.3 µm | ||
| Repeatability (Bidirectional)-E3(1) | ±0.25 µm | ±0.3 µm | ||
| Straightness(1) | ±0.5 µm | ±0.75 µm | ±1.5 µm | ±2.0 µm |
| Flatness(1) | ±0.5 µm | ±0.75 µm | ±1.5 µm | ±2.0 µm |
| Pitch | ±2 arc sec | ±3 arc sec | ±4 arc sec | ±5 arc sec |
| Roll | ±2 arc sec | ±3 arc sec | ±4 arc sec | ±5 arc sec |
| Yaw | ±2 arc sec | ±3 arc sec | ±4 arc sec | ±5 arc sec |
| Maximum Speed-E1 | 2 m/s | |||
| Maximum Speed-E3 | 1.2 m/s | |||
| Maximum Acceleration | 2 g (No Load) | |||
| Maximum Force (Continuous) | 187.2 N | |||
| Load Capacity-Horizontal(2) | 60 kg | |||
| Load Capacity-Side(2) | 25 kg | |||
| Operating Pressure | 80 psi ±5 psig | |||
| Air Consumption | 32-40 SLPM @ 551 kPa | |||
| Moving Mass (No Load) | 13.7 kg | |||
| Stage Mass | 50.2 kg | 56.8 kg | 64.0 kg | 70.8 kg |
| Material | Hardcoat Anodized Aluminum | |||
| MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) | 30,000 Hours | |||
- Certified with each stage.
- Axis orientation for on-axis loading is listed.
- Specifications are for single-axis systems measured 25 mm above the tabletop. Performance of multi-axis systems is payload and workpoint dependent. Consult factory for multi-axis or non-standard applications.
- To protect air bearing against under-pressure, an in-line pressure switch tied to the motion controller/amplifier ESTOP input is recommended.
- Air supply must be clean, dry to 0°F dew point and filtered to 0.25 µm or better; recommend nitrogen at 99.9% purity.
- For XY configurations utilizing an ABL1500-B as the upper axis and an ABL1500WB-B as the lower axis, the maximum upper axis travel is 300 mm.
ABL1500WB-B Electrical Specifications
| ABL1500WB-B-200 | ABL1500WB-B-300 | ABL1500WB-B-400 | ABL1500WB-B-500 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drive System | Brushless Linear Servomotor | |||
| Feedback | Noncontact Linear Encoder (see signal period options on Order Information page) | |||
| Maximum Bus Voltage | up to 80 VDC | |||
| Limit Switches | 5 V, Normally Closed | |||
| Home Switch | Near Center | |||
Travel (Required)
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| -200 | 200 mm travel |
| -300 | 300 mm travel |
| -400 | 400 mm travel |
| -500 | 500 mm travel |
Feedback (Required)
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| -E1 | Incremental linear encoder, 1 Vpp amplified sine output |
| -E3 | High-accuracy incremental linear encoder, 1 Vpp amplified sine output |
Cable Management (Required)
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| -CMS1 | Single axis cable management system |
| -CMS2 | Cable management system for XY assembly |
| -CMS3 | Cable management system for XIO, 2 extra cables, 1 extra air |
| -CMS4 | Cable management system for XYZ assembly |
| -CMS5 | Cable management system for XYIO, 2 extra cables, 1 extra air |
Metrology (Required)
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| -PL1 | Metrology, uncalibrated with performance plots |
| -PL2 | Metrology, calibrated (HALAR) with performance plots |
Integration (Required)
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| -TAS | Integration - Test as system Testing, integration, and documentation of a group of components as a complete system that will be used together (ex: drive, controller, and stage). This includes parameter file generation, system tuning, and documentation of the system configuration. |
| -TAC | Integration - Test as components Testing and integration of individual items as discrete components that ship together. This is typically used for spare parts, replacement parts, or items that will not be used together. These components may or may not be part of a larger system. |
Accessories (to be ordered as a separate line item)
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| ALIGN-NPA | Non-precision XY assembly |
| ALIGN-PA10 | XY assembly; 10 arc sec orthogonality. Alignment to within 7 microns orthogonality for short travel stages. |
| ALIGN-PA5 | XY assembly; 5 arc sec orthogonality. Alignment to within 3 microns orthogonality for short travel stages. |
| ABF | Air-bearing filtration kit |
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ABL1500-B Air-Bearing Direct-Drive Linear Stage
ABL1500WB Air-Bearing, Direct-Drive Linear Stage
