This recognition marks the fourth major industry award for the PINovAlign system, underscoring its impact on high-speed, high-precision photonics alignment. The platform combines advanced motion control, integrated alignment algorithms, and high-performance hardware to significantly improve throughput and repeatability in photonic device manufacturing and testing.

Designed for silicon photonics wafer testing, high-throughput fibre alignment, FAU (fibre array unit) alignment, and PIC (photonic integrated circuit) alignment in both test and assembly environments, PINovAlign’s parallel, multi-channel optimisation approach addresses one of the key bottlenecks in scaling silicon photonics manufacturing. By combining high-dynamics precision motion with embedded alignment intelligence, the system enables rapid, repeatable coupling of optical components with nanometre-level accuracy.

At the core of the platform, the PILightning algorithm dramatically accelerates first-light acquisition and alignment convergence compared to legacy, sequential methods. This results in significantly shorter cycle times, higher yield, and improved process stability – critical factors for volume production.

As silicon photonics continues to emerge as a foundational technology for AI infrastructure and next-generation data centres, the need for fast, automated, and scalable alignment solutions becomes essential. By reducing alignment time from minutes to seconds and enabling parallel, multi-channel optimisation, PINovAlign helps remove a major barrier to mass adoption, supporting the growth of an industry that will underpin future high-speed data communication.

By replacing electrons with photons, photonic computer chips have the potential to save huge amounts of energy in next generation data centres.

While early cryogenic motion solutions relied on stacked XYZ stages, emerging applications now require 5- and 6-degree-of-freedom alignment systems capable of handling larger payloads and more complex optical configurations.

PI’s concept approach centres on compact, 6DOF parallel-kinematics, designed to deliver nanometre-scale precision across multiple axes within the confined environments of cryostats and dilution refrigerators. Engineered to support key optical tasks – including beam steering, lens aberration correction, polarization control, fibre alignment, and precision positioning of dispersive elements such as gratings and prisms – these systems operate at ultra-low temperatures down below 4K, while enabling motion of several hundred grams over millimetre-scale travel ranges, all with high stability and repeatability.

Hexapod-type parallel kinematics enable simultaneous control of all six degrees of freedom, reducing error accumulation common in stacked systems. Additional advantages include low inertia, requiring less energy, a programmable pivot point for precise rotational alignment, and an open aperture for unobstructed optical access.

The piezo-based architecture minimises heat generation and enables self-locking operation even when power is switched off, an advantage for thermally sensitive low-temperature environments. Non-magnetic materials and UHV compatibility further support integration near sensitive quantum devices.

With this initiative, PI is positioning its motion technologies to support the next generation of quantum research and advanced cryogenic photonic systems.

The E-713 succeeds the E-712 controller family, which has long been the trusted backbone of PI’s high-performance nanopositioning solutions. Its modular design allows the combination of different drive technologies and position sensors – from servo and piezo motors to capacitive gauges, absolute encoders and interferometers.

Designed for high-precision application markets such as semiconductor test and metrology, photonics test and assembly, super-resolution microscopy and laser processing, the controller offers exceptional flexibility. It includes capabilities such as 6-axis coordinate transformation for hexapod-like parallel-kinematic structures, integrated scanning and alignment routines for efficient fibre-optic alignment, high-bandwidth/high-resolution analogue inputs for analogue sensors and signals, along with advanced sensor-processing functions and polynomial linearity correction to ensure outstanding accuracy and operational reliability. A comprehensive software package is included.

Building on the E-712’s legacy, the E-713 controller family delivers greater flexibility, simpler integration of third-party peripherals, and a new performance benchmark for multi-channel applications.

The E-713 motion controller is supported by PIMikroMove, PI’s intuitive user software that enables rapid startup without programming expertise and provides graphical visualisation of signals and operations. An extensive set of drivers is also available for C, C++, C#, NI LabVIEW, and MATLAB.

The H-815 hexapod offers sub-micron resolution, high stability and long-term repeatability, making it ideally suited for precision alignment and motion tasks in applications such as camera lens assembly, Micro-LED manufacturing, photonics, aerospace systems and fibre optic device integration.

With a compact mechanical envelope – featuring a 155 mm overall height and a 222 mm baseplate diameter – the H-815 supports payloads up to 10 kg (22 lbs) while maintaining high structural stiffness. Its advanced controller enables fully synchronised motion across all six degrees of freedom (X, Y, Z, pitch, roll, yaw), ensuring precise, multi-axis positioning and alignment across any spatial orientation.

Key design elements include high-stiffness cardanic joints for enhanced rigidity, precision ball screw actuators that minimise friction and extend operational lifespan, and absolute position encoders that eliminate the need for homing sequences, thereby reducing initialisation time and increasing throughput in automated environments.

Ideal for industrial precision alignment, metrology and assembly, PI says the H-815 sets a new standard for high-accuracy, 6-axis motion in continuous-operation environments. Industries served include automotive, aerospace, electronics, photonics, optics, precision assembly and test, semiconductors and microLED production.

This makes hexapod applications easier to configure and the coordination of moves with other axes of motion using the same controller easy.

“With the new drives, hexapods can be controlled like any other axis in the Automation1 network,” emphasises Brian Fink, Product Manager at Aerotech. “This allows users to significantly reduce development time, cabling effort and integration costs without compromising control precision.”

The Automation1 motion control platform is Aerotech’s central control system. It combines software, controllers, drives, and the HyperWire fibre optic communication bus into a unified environment for high-precision motion and automation tasks.

Functional architecture

The HXA4 and iHXA4 drives are designed for the second generation of the Aerotech hexapod family, which includes the HEX150-125HL model. They combine precise position control with integrated safety and diagnostic functions. Position-synchronised outputs (PSO) allow measurement or trigger events to be precisely linked to feedback position. The Safe Torque Off (STO) function ensures safe operating conditions during service or setup procedures. Analogue and digital inputs and outputs are available for direct connection of sensors, cameras, or external actuators.

Compact design, reduced complexity

The HXA4 and iHXA4 drives have only two main cables per hexapod. This significantly reduces the amount of cabling required. The compact housing facilitates installation in existing control cabinets or directly on the machine. Combining the controller and drive in a single device not only reduces space requirements but also the susceptibility to errors. Users receive a scalable solution that integrates seamlessly into existing automation structures.

The hexapod drives are suitable for a wide range of precision applications. According to Aerotech product manager Brian Fink, typical areas of application include: optical alignment, adjustment, and bonding processes; manipulation and packaging of photonic components; wafer and lens inspection; test setups in aerospace engineering; characterisation of electro-optical systems; and sample positioning in synchrotron and beamline experiments.

“The combination of Automation1 software, HyperWire communication and the HXA4 and iHXA4 models creates a consistent, scalable control concept,” explains Brian Fink. “This allows hexapods to be integrated directly into automated processes. The coordination of complex movements becomes simpler, more reliable and more economically efficient.”

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The HEX150-125HL was developed for maximum precision in positioning. Its sophisticated design with simplified cabling and improved kinematics enables outstanding dynamics and accuracy. With a maximum payload of 12 kg and movement ranges of up to 30 mm linear or 30 degree rotary per axis, the miniature hexapod is suitable for demanding industrial and scientific applications.

Thanks to its robust, rigid parallel kinematic design, it is particularly robust and ideal for automation solutions. Users from industries such as electronics, photonics, automotive, mechanical engineering and medical technology benefit from its high precision and dynamics – especially in quality assurance and metrology.

Simon Smith, European Director at Aerotech, emphasises: “The HEX150-125HL has been developed to enable more precise, faster and more flexible movements in confined spaces. With its combination of compact design, powerful control and easy integration, it offers an outstanding solution for a wide range of high-tech applications.”

Flexible integration into existing systems

Its compact design with a simplified two-cable solution makes integration into research and production environments much easier. An optional mounting plate allows easy attachment to optical tables or breadboards. The 35 mm openings in the platform and base improve access to the workpiece and provide space for additional cables and hoses.

Powerful controls and intuitive software

The precise Aerotech motion controllers, which have won many awards for their performance, ensure maximum precision and user-friendliness. They support programming in multiple coordinate systems and offer an intuitive user interface. Real-time visualisation and simulation tools facilitate the optimisation of motion sequences. The HexGen software also simplifies the simulation of the working area and possible motion sequences.

Efficient motion control with drive technology

The HEX150-125HL can be operated with the new XA4-DC-AX2 and AX4 servo drives from Aerotech. These compact single and multi-axis drives are suitable for control cabinet installation and are part of the user-friendly Automation1 platform. The platform enables precise system configuration and control via a software-based motion controller.

The XA drives support various feedback systems and have an on-board memory for high-speed data acquisition and process control. With the Automation1 controller, up to twelve HyperWire motion axes can be controlled and up to nine user tasks can be executed simultaneously. The HEX150-125HL can be flexibly mounted in a 19-inch rack, under a machine base or on another panel.

In addition to use in laboratory environments, the HEX150-125HL also offers great potential for automated production. With speeds of up to 30 mm/s and 30deg/s, it optimises throughput times in industrial processes. Its robust design ensures reliable performance – even during years of continuous operation.

Highest precision for modern applications

Aerotech presents the HEX150-125HL, a powerful and versatile miniature hexapod that is characterised by precision, compactness and simple integration. “Our customers benefit from simple implementation, maximum repeatability and flexible integration options,” summarises Simon Smith.

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Engineered as a durable parallel kinematic machine for high-precision alignment tasks, it provides six degrees of freedom (6-DOF) – X, Y, Z, pitch, roll, and yaw – delivering exceptional flexibility for applications requiring multi-axis motion with high accuracy.

With a low-profile design (only 155 mm height), a small footprint for a 6-axis system (222 mm baseplate diameter), and a 22lbs load capacity, the sturdy H-815 hexapod seamlessly integrates into production lines while maintaining robust performance, even when mounted in various orientations.

Unveiled at SPIE Photonics West 2025, the world’s leading conference on photonics, it is ideal for camera lens alignment (automotive, cell phones, etc.), micro-assembly, aerospace test and assembly, Micro-LED production, fibre optic alignment, aerospace test and assembly, and other precision-critical applications.

PI has equipped the H-815 with advanced joints, high-performance actuators, and absolute encoders for the highest motion control performance, reliability and stability.

Pictured left to right: Rosenheim Lord Mayor Andreas Marz; PI location manager Markus Unterharrer; PI Group CEO Markus Spanner; Economic Development Agency of the City of Rosenheim Carla Kirmis; PI SVP of Operations Dr Axel Widenhorn (Image: Philipp Wermuth)

The expansion will enable production capacities of precision motion control and nanopositioning technology products to be further increased in order to meet the demands of customers from the semiconductor, photonics, laser processing, and life sciences industries.

For 2025, another investment of $2M has been approved.

In addition, the Hexapod 150-125HL has undergone design improvements which, according to the manufacturer, lead to significant increases in performance.

The new Hexapod from Aerotech offers a versatile solution for users who need to position workpieces with high dynamics and precision. Thanks to its special design, the parallel kinematic hexapod is extremely robust and rigid. It is therefore particularly suitable for use in automation solutions and is ideal for measuring and testing technology in quality assurance, for example. Aerotech also sees a wide range of applications for the HEX150-125HL in the fields of electronics, photonics, automotive, mechanical engineering and medical technology.

Robust, compact and yet flexible

Compared to its predecessor, the HEX150-140HL, the new HEX150-125HL features a number of enhancements: a reduced height of 125 mm and a base diameter of 150 mm with medium Z travel, a cable reduction to a total of just two cables, one cable for motor power and one cable for feedback, a simplified strut design and a larger, more robust joint construction.

“The joints are incorporated directly into the base and moving platform, which increases the rigidity and load capacity of the miniature positioning system,” explains Simon Smith, European Director at Aerotech. “What’s more, our users get more performance for less money: our new HEX150-125HL will cost 30 per cent less than its predecessor.”

More performance for less money

The unmistakable advantages over other positioning systems lie in the flexible six degrees of freedom, which enable precise translation in the X, Y and Z directions as well as rotation around each of these axes, while at the same time ensuring exact positioning.

With a movable working platform of 130 mm diameter, the HEX150 can handle loads of up to 12 kg vertically and 5 kg horizontally with travel ranges in X of 42 mm, in Y of 44 mm and Z of 17 mm. It also offers a central opening with a diameter of 35 mm.

The new Hexapod also increases the number of available positioning paths with a minimum incremental movement of 15 nm. It offers improved repeatability, higher speeds in the X and Y directions of 30 mm/s and in the Z direction of 8 mm/s compared to its predecessor, as well as improved load capacity, which, according to the manufacturer, leads to significant increases in performance in the application.

Efficient movement control with XA drive technology

The HEX150-125HL can be moved using the new XA4-DC-AX2 and AX4 drives from Aerotech. These compact single and multi-axis servo drives are designed for installation into a control cabinet. The XA 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 has its own software-based motion controller, which makes it easy to control the servomotor drives.

The XA drives support multiple feedback device types and have on-board 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 executed simultaneously. The HEX150-125HL 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 in precision and flexibility. In combination with the XA drive technology and the Automation1 motion control platform, we offer our customers a powerful and cost-effective overall solution that opens up a wide range of possible applications. Our most important design goal was to improve the motion performance while further increasing the efficiency and user-friendliness of our products.”

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The Angulares is vital today because it addresses the precision and performance needs of modern high-tech industries, offering unmatched versatility and accuracy essential for cutting-edge applications.

The Angulares incorporates precision crossed roller bearing guides, optical incremental or absolute encoders on all axes, and offers both linear motor and servo ball screw drives. It features unlimited programmable tool centre point locations, coordinate offsets, and zero backlash across all axes. These advancements enable unlimited XY travel, a Z travel range of 62 mm (extendable to 208 mm with other tripod models), 60 degrees of tip/tilt motion (±30 degrees), continuous 360-degree Theta-Z rotation, and XYZ bidirectional repeatability of less than ±0.6 arc-seconds.

It also supports velocities up to 100 mm/second for both XY and Z axes, with minimum incremental motions of less than 10 nanometres linear and 0.1 arc-seconds angular.

Bill Hennessey, President of ALIO Industries says: “The Hybrid Hexapod design by ALIO Industries overcomes the limitations of traditional hexapods by combining the strengths of serial and parallel kinematic structures while eliminating their weaknesses. This design offers superior functional versatility, nanometre-level accuracy, repeatability, and exceptional 6-DOF trajectories, surpassing the capabilities of conventional hexapods and stacked stage configurations.”

While standard hexapods are adequate for applications requiring micron-level motion tolerances, they fall short for nanometre-level precision. This shortfall arises from inherent performance limitations in conventional hexapods, which operate within 3-dimensional space with errors in all six DOF. Traditional performance data typically addresses only one degree of freedom, neglecting errors in other degrees of freedom, particularly in flatness and straightness – critical for nanometre-level precision. Hexapods’ best flatness and straightness still lag by over two orders of magnitude (two decimal points) for basic XY motion.

Hexapods’ precision is influenced by the errors in all six links and joints. They excel in Z-axis movements, where all links perform identical motions at the same relative angles. However, X, Y, pitch, yaw, or roll motions degrade precision and geometric path performance because the links move differently. Errors are more pronounced in conventional hexapods with non-precision joints, bearings, and motion controllers that lack forward and inverse kinematics equations.

The Hybrid Hexapod’s design features a parallel kinematic tripod for Z-plane and tip/tilt motion, integrated with a monolithic serial kinematic stage for XY planar motion. A rotary stage at the tripod’s top or bottom provides continuous 360-degree (Theta-Z) rotation. This hybrid design allows individual axes to be customised for XY travel ranges from millimetres to virtually unlimited distances while maintaining nanometre-level precision. Advanced forward and inverse controller kinematics enable an unlimited number of programmable tool centre point locations, delivering unmatched path precision and performance.

The Angulares Hybrid Hexapod’s 60-degree tip/tilt travel is ideal for applications in aspheric and freeform optical metrology, silicon photonics packaging and probing, laser micromachining on non-planar substrates, wafer metrology, camera module alignment and assembly, sensor/image stabilisation testing and optical element and fibre alignment.