Control 2025 the international trade fair for industrial quality assurance 06 to 09 May 2025 Stuttgart Hall 3, Stand 3404
The focus will be on high-precision solutions for analysing surfaces, high-performance motion control systems and the integration of advanced measurement processes. In addition, Aerotech subsidiary Peak Metrology will be presenting innovative positioning systems that have been specially developed for large-scale inspection applications.
SMP (Surface Measurement Motion Platform)
Aerotech will be showcasing its high-precision multi-axis SMP (Surface Measurement Motion Platform) for surface measurement applications at stand 3404 in hall 3. The SMP platform is ideally suited for the production of optical components for laser material processing, bio, medical and semiconductor technology, where precise surface measurements or non-destructive quality assurance are essential.
With the SMP multi-axis motion system, Aerotech is specifically targeting QA managers in these industries. “Optical components are widely used in many applications such as mobile phones, to medical instruments used for prevention, diagnostics and therapy to laser processing or additive manufacturing,” explains Simon Smith, European Director at Aerotech. “High-precision measurements of spherical, aspherical and cylindrical shapes in the nanometre range are essential to confirm the component quality.” The SMP enables flexible 2D and 3D contouring and reduces the processing time for surface measurements by up to 40 per cent thanks to its unique continuous rotation axis and R-Theta transformation and excellent positioning performance which saves time on the typical raster scanning metrology methods.
The system also requires up to 60 per cent less floor space than comparable Cartesian measuring systems. Automation1 Release 2.10: New functions for maximum control The Automation1 motion control platform is also in the spotlight with the new functionality released in version 2.10, Aerotech is setting new standards in motion control with this further development. “One of our trade fair highlights is the functional enhancements to the Automation1 motion control platform in release 2.10,” emphasises Simon Smith.
“With innovative features such as conditional plot display, improved access control and optimised galvo calibration features, we offer a comprehensive machine control solution.” Special innovations include:
● Conditional Plotting — Conditional Plotting is a new feature in the data collection configurations. It is managed primarily through the Configure Signals and Edit Plot dialogs. Users will set up plot conditions to do things like change the colour of a position signal when an error signal exceeds some threshold. Or hide a signal when a digital input is off.
● Access Control/Secure Communication — Access control and secure communication has been extended to drive-based controllers (out of beta).
● Laser Control at 20khz — This is for controlling laser output at 20kHz granularity on servo axes, allowing users a way to synchronize to I/O at rates higher than 1 kHz for servos using Position Synchronised Output (PSO).
● Galvo Calibration — The Galvo Calibration module has some new improvements/features, making it easier for customers doing Mark & Measure and allowing users to add a new calibration data tables to the Galvo 2D Axis Calibration file.
● Tuning Improvements — Current Loop FF Configuration (allows customers to customize their current loop feedfoard ie. increase current loop bandwidth by adding a “Resistance” and “Inductance” feedforward term to the current loop), Tuning Recipe Runtime (allow customers to create and upload their own custom tuning recipes).
● Other Improvements: Help file updates, PWM Drive Improvements, API Improvements (.NET & Linux)
With the fully customisable Machine Apps HMI development tool, Automation1 expands the possibilities for machine control with a powerful user interface. The user friendly solution allows users to create individual HMIs without programming knowledge, configure modules via drag-and-drop and customise interfaces to their own corporate design.
“The bottom line is that MachineApps significantly reduces development time and provides machine builders with a flexible, customised solution that enables both intuitive control and quick integration into existing systems,” says Brett Heintz, Controls Product Management Group Leader at Aerotech. Peak Metrology:
Precise measurement technology for large-format Aerotech subsidiary Peak Metrology will also be at the stand to present a high performance positioning system developed in cooperation with metrology specialist Keyence.
Peak Metrology develops standard and customised equipment for high precision measurement and inspection processes “The market for digital microscopes is booming, but existing systems are quickly reaching their limits,” explains RJ Hardt, President of Peak Metrology.
“We offer our customers solutions that can also be used to measure larger parts.” The demo system at Control is an automated, non-contact 3D surface measuring device. It combines state-of-the-art laser line scanning technology with high-precision positioning stages for linear and rotary movements. The integrated Peak CaptureUI data acquisition and measurement software as well as the Peak Image topography
analysis software enable detailed 3D surface profilometry and analysis in the micrometre range. Thanks to its versatility, the system is ideal for precisely measuring and analysing surfaces of varying size and complexity in laboratory and production environments. The high-speed data acquisition almost reaches the fundamental limits of measurement accuracy and reliability. This is realised by combining first-class motion control devices with industry-leading measurement sensors and user friendly software tools. These systems are used in semiconductor production, precision manufacturing, electronics, aerospace and medical technology. High-performance positioning systems are particularly indispensable in quality assurance within the production line – for example in wafer inspection or the manufacture of flat screens.
