PI releases H-815 hexapod robot for industrial applications

The H-815 Hexapod from PI. | Source: PI

Physik Instrumente L.P., or PI, has released its H-815 six-axis hexapod robot. The company said the H-815 is a compact and robust parallel kinematic motion system engineered for continuous 24/7 operation in industrial environments.

The H-815 provides high reliability, fast velocity, and ultra-precise movement for applications in silicon photonics, semiconductor manufacturing, optics, and metrology, said PI. The system is designed for automotive, electronics, photonics, and optics applications, it added.

Karlsruhe, Germany-based PI designs and manufactures precision motion and automation systems, including air bearings, hexapods, and piezo drives, at locations in North America, Europe, and Asia. The company was founded five decades ago and today employs more than 1,900 people worldwide.

Its U.S. subsidiary, PI LP, operates five facilities in North America and recently moved to new headquarters in Shrewsbury, Mass. Beyond semiconductors, the company claimed that its systems accelerate advances in silicon photonics, quantum computing, industrial automation, high-resolution microscopy, and life sciences.

H-815 features high-quality joints, actuators, and encoders

Designed for high-precision alignment tasks, the H-815 offers six degrees of freedom: X, Y, Z, pitch, roll, and yaw. PI said this provides flexibility for applications that demand high accuracy across multiple independent axes.

PI said it engineered the H-815 with best-in-class joints, actuators, and encoders for “unparalleled motion control.” The H-815 uses in-house designed cardanic joints with Z-offset, delivering superior stiffness compared to standard spherical joints. This allows for precise, backlash-free operation, even in random orientations, according to the company.

With a low-profile design, a 155 mm (6.1 in.) height and a 222 mm (8.7 in.) baseplate diameter, as well as a 10 kg (22 lb.) load capacity, the H-815 integrates into existing production lines while maintaining robust performance in various orientations, PI said. The company claimed that its hexapod is suitable for camera lens alignment, micro-assembly, fiber optic alignment, and other tasks demanding precision.

PI designs for long lifetime

The system’s ball-screw actuators provide low friction and long lifetime, significantly outperforming lead-screw designs used in lower-cost hexapods, PI claimed. All six actuators are equipped with absolute-measuring encoders, eliminating the need for referencing, reducing startup time, and enhancing overall precision, it added.

PI listed key features and benefits of the H-815 system:

• Absolute encoders: No referencing is required, streamlining setup, and minimizing downtime.
• Motor brakes: The brakes automatically engage during power loss, ensuring operational safety.
• High precision: The system can achieve 0.1µm minimum incremental motion in X, Y, and Z axes for sub-micron accuracy.
• High speed: The H-815 is capable of velocities up to 20 mm/s, optimizing throughput for industrial automation.
• User-friendly design: It features pluggable cables for easy routing and maintenance.
• Compact and robust: With a low-profile footprint, the H-815 is designed for flexible integration in space-constrained environments.

The company this month also announced a six-axis variant of its F-141 PINovAlign automated fiber alignment system for the industrial test and assembly of photonic integrated circuits (PICs), single- and dual-sided fibers, and fiber array units (FAU). PI said the cost-optimized system is intended for high-speed photonic array-alignment tasks and space-limited environments.

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