- Company - Physik Instrumente (PI) GmbH & Co. KG
Physik Instrumente (PI) Showcases R&D Topics for Next Generations of Technology at LASER World of PHOTONICS
Worldwide, around seventy PI engineers, physicists, and software specialists are working on innovative technologies for precision positioning. Five forward-looking topics will be presented for the first time at LASER World of PHOTONICS. "By presenting these topics at this time, we are inviting our customers to get involved in a dialog, in order to discuss ideas and requirements for future generations of technology, and identify potential applications," explains Dr. Markus Czanta, PI's CTO.
Active Damping and Vibration Compensation
To improve exploiting the potential of high-precision positioning technologies, it is necessary to damp or compensate vibrations in mechanical setups. A smart actuator and drive concept for active damping and vibration compensation will be presented with the aim of developing solutions for demanding scientific and industrial applications.
Magnetic Levitation
Magnetic levitation deals with contactless stages supported solely by magnetic fields and freely positionable in space in six degrees of freedom. In combination with special drive and sensor technologies, this technology should enable resolutions down to the picometer range with high dynamics and without generating particles.
Surface Shaping
Another focus of research is the high-resolution active shaping of optical component or substrate surfaces. Combining different actuator designs, modes of operation, and arrangements enables amplitudes and deformations with smallest feature sizes and high dynamics.
Learning Algorithms - Machine Learning
How is it possible to overcome the limitations of feedback and feedforward-based control? PI's Israeli subsidiary ACS is focusing its research about controllers on learning algorithms. Using machine learning, the controller software should independently transfer knowledge from all previous motions to future tasks, therefore preventing known errors.
New Controller Architecture
Developers will also report on the status of PI’s future controller architecture. This will cover various drive and sensor technologies, software solutions, operating modes, and communication standards. PI engineers are paying particular attention to customizing the architecture to meet individual application needs, rapid commissioning, and programming.
The PI Group traditionally spends around ten percent of its turnover on research and development. The company holds more than five hundred granted and pending patents - and the number is growing. The R&E topics are aimed at pushing technical boundaries in the field of precision technologies. This should increase the precision and throughput of customer applications and enable innovative technologies or applications.
About Physik Instrumente (PI)
The PI Group with headquarters in Karlsruhe, Germany, is market and technology leader for high-precision positioning technology and piezo applications in the market segments Industrial Automation, Semiconductor Industry, Photonics, and Microscopy & Life Sciences. In close cooperation with international customers, PI's approximately 1,500 specialists have been continuously pushing the boundaries of what is technically possible for more than 50 years. Various drive technologies, internally developed sensor technology, electronics, and control technology provide the basis for this. PI’s portfolio ranges from components to subsystems, to tailor-made complete solutions. 508 granted and pending patents underline the company's claim to leadership in the fields of precision positioning and piezo technology. PI operates on a global scale, with nine production sites in Europe, North America, and Asia, as well as sixteen sales and service subsidiaries.