Opto Sigma

Accessories for manual positioners include replacement micrometers, angle brackets, adapter plates, and tools.

Aluminum Stages are offered with either crossed roller bearings for maximum load and stability or ball bearings for light weight and low cost.

Goniometers are used to rotate an object or sample about a point in space. The center of rotation is located over the center of the table and is not obscured by the stage itself. In this way it is possible to have a clear and unimpeded access to the point of rotation. Goniometers are offered with different centers of rotation and can be stacked so that two orthogonal axes rotate about the same coincident point.

These goniometers are square in shape making them compact and convenient to use either alone or in conjunction with other stages. The mechanism uses a leadscrew driven, precision dovetail slide. A Vernier scale is marked on the edge of the goniometers to indicate the angle from horizontal. The drive may be controlled by hand or by means of an Allen key.

These simple brass slides use a dovetail bearing and a leadscrew drive to provide X, XY or XYZ adjustment. They are ideal for rough positioning of detectors or optical components. They may be stacked together but they are not compatible with our precision stages.

We offer a complete line of linear slides for OEM applications where the drive mechanism is not directly coupled to the carriage or body of the stage. These free moving slides may be used alone or in groups to move payloads with external lead screws or fast action pneumatic drives. OptoSigma slides are precision manufactured using our patented extended contact bearing design to improve load capacity and straightness of travel. Stainless steel construction ensure high thermal stability and excellent positioning accuracy.

These slides are perfect for OEM applications and are offered in sizes ranging from 15mm x 15mm to 60mm x 140mm footprints to meet almost any application demand. Convenient top and bottom plate tapped and through holes provide numerous mounting solutions.

For extremely heavy loads a triple bearing-way, high load slide is offered. These high load slides are specially designed to incorporate three separate bearing ways, thus increase the static load carrying capacity of the slide system.

These preset stages utilize precision dovetail slides and are adjusted by means of a special key or Allen wrench. The vertical slides have a built-in thumb-wheel adjuster. Once set, the stages can be locked in place and the key removed to prevent inadvertent adjustment. X, Z, XY, XZ and XYZ combinations are offered in four footprint sizes which match our conventional stages. These are some of the most compact adjustment mechanisms available and they are ideally suited to OEM applications.

When longer ranges of travel are required conventional stages may not be sufficient. For imaging applications it is often necessary to scan a detector over the field and focus volume of image space. These, long travel, dovetail stages provide the perfect solution. They may be driven by rack and pinion over a large distance without losing their alignment. The coarse drive enables rapid positioning of the stage. Once set in position the stage may be locked by means of a clamp lever so it will not move. If it is required to provide fine movement our conventional stages have compatible mounting holes and can be attached to these stages. The 65mm stages are compatible with 1/4inch or M6, industry standard, mounting patterns and are offered as X, XY and XYZ stages. The 25mm stages are compatible with our mini-system and are offered as linear stages of various travel ranges.

Rotation stages permit the precise angular adjustment of components. These stages use plain brass bearings to provide coarse adjustment over a full 360 degree circle. A scale around the circumference provides an indication of the angle. Once set approximately in place the stage may be locked by means of a clamp screw and then fine adjusted by a micrometer (fine pitch screw is used for the 25mm stage). The sizes of these stages are such that they may be mounted together with translation stages to form compound motion devices. The largest stage we offer has a diameter of 160mm and a 102mm central aperture. The 120mm stage has a 62mm central aperture so it can be mounted with an optical beam passing through its center. The 90mm stage will accept a 65mm linear stage and the 65mm rotation stage can be mounted on top of a 65mm translation stage. The 40mm stage is ideal for OEM applications. The 160, 120 and 90mm stages utilize crossed roller bearings for high load capacity.

When nothing but the best will do, these stages are the ones you need. Made from hardened stainless steel, they are extremely strong and durable. Our patented precision extended contact ball bearing ways provide the highest possible load capacity and resist damage due to impact or wear. Due to the low thermal expansion of stainless steel, they do not wander and are extremely stable during moderate temperature excursions. X, XY and Z stages are offered. Z motion stages are of the pivot type which provide an unobstructed elevation platform. For vacuum applications the use of stainless steel is recommended as it is less likely to outgas than other materials. These vacuum compatible stages have no blind holes, no surface finish and a non-silicone high vacuum lubricant is used in the assembly process.

Three sizes cover most requirements. The footprint sizes are 65, 40 and 25mm each with convenient industry standard mounting holes. All of these stages are designed to be compact in order to fit into the smallest possible space. Metric screws are used throughout and the mounting patterns are optimized to the space available.

Look closely and you will see that this patented family of stages greatly surpasses the performance of most, apparently similar, stages. The design and method of manufacture provides many benefits. First, there are far fewer parts than expected. The stages consist of a top plate and a bottom plate only. There are no intermediate plates and no bearing adapters to add to the tolerance build-up. Linear bearing ways are machined directly into the steel plates and honed to provide the highest possible precision. Second, the ball bearings are contacted by an extended curved surface which provides greater load capacity and higher precision than crossed-roller bearings.

Tilt platforms with 2 or 3 degrees of freedom are useful for the alignment of all kinds of optical components. These tilt platforms may be combined with stages either horizontally or vertically to provide an easy method of angular control. Three sizes are offered: 65mm, 40mm and 25mm. The base is bolted onto the stage or bracket and the top plate is adjusted by means of the thumb-screws protruding from the edge of the platform. The third axis, when present, is adjusted by means of a knob. A useful clamp for holding prisms is offered as an option for use with the 65 and 40mm platforms.