Temperature changes and thermal effects are some of the largest error sources in precision machines. One major reason for this is the difficulty and often extreme expense associated with designing a thermally insensitive machine. Aerotech’s new product feature, ThermoComp, is a complete mechatronic solution to thermal errors. Through the employment of integrated hardware and sensors, and a proprietary compensation algorithm implemented via Aerotech’s A3200 controller software, ThermoComp minimizes stage inaccuracy due to thermal effects even over extreme temperature ranges.
Up to 90% of the thermal-related errors can be eliminated, regardless of stage travel and range of temperature change.
Additionally, internal self-heating is another major source of thermal-related positioning errors, particularly in stages without direct feedback devices such as ball-screw-driven stages. ThermoComp not only prevents environmental changes from affecting positioning performance, but also diminishes the errors caused through internal heating, eliminating up to 90% of the thermal-related errors caused by the self-heating of a ball-screw-driven stage.
ThermoComp is currently available on all Aerotech PRO Series stages and operates through an intuitive and easy-to-use integrated command set within the Aerotech A3200 controller software.
