DESIGN PRINCIPLES FOR HIGHEST PRECISION APPLICATIONS

Ultra precise multi-axis positioning and measuring machines have been identified as an enabling tool in the current developments in nanotechnology and further beyond. Therefore machines with an increasingly large spatial travel are being demanded while reaching accuracy in the nanometer range. High flexibility for various applications in metrology, micro-mechanics and nanotechnology is feasible. Known machines show that requirements of highest precision applications cannot be reached only trough the use of closed loop control [1, 2, 3]. With a systematic machine design it is possible to better handle environmental influences and machine behavior.