Aerotech's Galvo & Controller Combo Sees in All Directions

Aerotech has released a line of advanced galvanometers designed to use optical feedback technology to increase resolution to more than 24 bits. Both the standard AGV and the higher-performance AGC-HP scanners may be directly driven by Aerotech's Nmark CLS galvo controller, which offers a suite of application tools that include position-synchronized output (PSO) and infinite field of view (IFOV).

The AGV is available with 10mm, 14mm, and 20mm apertures with standard F-Theta lens interfaces designed to provide maximum application flexibility. It can also be configured to accommodate wavelengths of 1,064nm, 532nm, and 355nm. Other wavelengths are available on request. A variety of focal lengths are standard, with correction files provided to remove lens distortion effects.

Aerotech focused on the ability to place a laser spot as a function of X/Y axis position as a key feature of the linear positioning tables for laser processing applications. This functionality is available for scanner applications.

The Nmark CLS also offers PSO that ties laser pulses directly to the galvo position and allows true position-based triggering, rather than time-based pulses, to shutter laser light. This was designed to remove the need to program mark, jump, and polygon delays and thus reduce programming complexity. Using the PSO functionality, scanner-based processes can be programmed in the same fashion as traditional X/Y stage-based applications.

The IFOV feature was created to synchronize servo and scanner motion under one controller environment to allow fast scanner positioning over the entire servo travel and eliminate galvo field-of-view constraints. The Nmark CLS also has two high-power drive circuits, one for each axis in the scanner. The drive circuits are optimized to get the peak performance from the AGV product family.

Both the AGV and AGV-HP are designed with thermally stable feedback transducers with virtually no gain or offset drift. The Nmark CLS uses advanced interpolation electronics to provide more than 24 bits of effective resolution. Onboard real-time 2D calibration was designed to ensure accurate beam placement over the entire field of view.

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