More Compact and More Powerful Than Its Predecessor
Aerotech, the specialist in motion control and positioning systems, introduces its new hexapod. The HEX150-125HL is designed for high-precision positioning and motion tasks down to the nanometer range. Compared to its predecessor, its design is more compact and, most notably, lower in height. Additionally, the HEX150-125HL has undergone design improvements that significantly enhance its performance.
Aerotech’s new hexapod offers a versatile solution for users who need to position components with high dynamics and precision. Thanks to its unique design, the parallel-kinematic hexapod is extremely robust and rigid. It is therefore particularly well-suited for automation solutions and is ideal for measurement and testing techniques in quality assurance, for example. Aerotech also sees a wide range of applications for the HEX150-125HL in electronics, photonics, automotive, mechanical assembly, inspection, and medical technologies.
Robust, Compact, Yet Flexible
Compared to its predecessor, the HEX150-140HL, the new HEX150-125HL features a number of improvements: a reduced height of 125 mm and a base diameter of 150 mm with a moderate Z-travel range; a reduced cable count to just two cables—one for motor power and one for feedback; a simplified strut design; a machine drive system; and a larger, more robust joint construction. “The joints are integrated directly into the base and the mobile platform, which increases the rigidity and load-bearing capacity of the miniature positioning system,” explains Simon Smith, European Director at Aerotech. “In addition, our users get more performance for a smaller budget: our new HEX150-125HL costs 30% less than its predecessor.”
More Performance for Less Money
The clear advantages over other positioning systems lie in the flexibility of six degrees of freedom, allowing for precise translation in the X, Y, and Z directions as well as rotation around each of these axes—all while ensuring accurate positioning.
With a mobile work platform of 130 mm in diameter, the HEX150 can handle loads up to 12 kg vertically and 5 kg horizontally, with travel ranges of 42 mm in X, 44 mm in Y, and 17 mm in Z. It also features a central opening with a diameter of 35 mm. The new hexapod also increases the number of available positioning trajectories with a minimum incremental movement of 15 nm. It offers improved repeatability, higher speeds—30 mm/s in X and Y, and 8 mm/s in Z—compared to its predecessor, and better load capacity, which, according to the manufacturer, results in significant performance improvements in application.
Efficient Motion Control with XA Drive Technology
The HEX150-125HL can be operated using Aerotech’s new XA4-DC-AX2 and XA4 drives. These compact single- or multi-axis servo drives are designed for installation in a control cabinet. The XA4 drive series is an integral part of Aerotech’s user-friendly Automation1 motion control platform, which allows systems to be precisely configured and controlled. The platform features its own software motion controller, making servo motor control easier.
The XA drives support multiple types of feedback devices and include onboard memory for high-speed data acquisition and process control. With the integrated Automation1 controller, up to twelve HyperWire motion axes can be controlled, and up to nine user tasks can be run simultaneously. The HEX150-125HL controller can be mounted in a standard 19-inch rack, under a machine base, or on another panel.
Simon Smith concludes: “With the new HEX150-125HL, we are once again setting new standards for precision and flexibility. Combined with XA drive technology and the Automation1 motion control platform, we offer our customers a powerful and cost-effective all-in-one solution that opens the door to a wide range of possible applications. Our primary design focus was on improving motion performance while enhancing the efficiency and user-friendliness of our products.”
