Precise and stable M-687 microscopy stages with direct drive.PI-Medical offers a new, fast, high-precision XY positioning system, which has been optimised for applications with inverted microscopes. The M-687 XY stage provides travel ranges of up to 100mm × 75mm and its large clear aperture, of up to 160mm × 100 mm, can hold specimen holders as well as Z systems for specimen scanning. The currently available models can be used for inverted microscopes of the Olympus IX2 series and for Nikon Eclipse TI.

The stage is driven by a PILine piezoceramic linear motor which, in contrast to flanged stepper or DC motors with large lead screw ducts, is integrated inside the stage and does therefore not require any additional installation space. This facilitates the integration of the stage under the microscope and without hindering access to the specimen.

The PILine motors transmit the force directly to the moving platform and thus keep the position stable without additional heat generation, even when powered down. M-687 stages provide maximum closed-loop velocities of up to 250 mm/s. Their settling behavior is optimised, as settling takes place within a few milliseconds. A slow movement is also of importance for users as even with only a few micrometers a second, the movement is constant and without jumps in position. It can still be observed under the microscope at 1000-fold magnification.

By combining a PILine drive with a high-resolution position sensor, a stiff and high-precision stage has been designed, which can reach positions repeatedly with sub-micron accuracy.