Motion control and positioning systems manufacturer Aerotech has introduced its AGV-SPO single pivot-point galvanometer scanner, which enables a larger field of view and reduced spot distortion for critical laser micromachining applications. A unique optical design effectively controls the beam entrance pupil to be coincident for the X and Y scanner motion, increasing the effective numerical aperture of the scanner system. This design directly enables a larger field of view for a given focal length and reduces spot distortion over the entire working area. These advantages allow the AGV-SPO to process larger parts faster and with greater consistency.

 

The AGV-SPO is available with a selection of optical coatings and focusing optics to support a variety of commonly-used laser wavelengths and focal lengths. Customised optics and optical mounting features are available upon request. The AGV-SPO can be configured with active cooling features such as air-cooled mirrors, water-cooled motors, or both to preserve working-plane accuracy in the presence of thermal disturbances caused by the laser and aggressive motion profiles.

 

The AGV-SPO utilizes Aerotech’s advanced motion and Position Synchronised Output (PSO) capabilities. Contouring functions such as Acceleration Limiting can be used to automatically reduce speeds in tight corners or small radii to minimise overshoot. The laser can be triggered based on the position feedback of the mirrors with PSO to ensure consistent spot overlap as the scanner changes speed. Aerotech’s Infinite Field of View (IFOV) function seamlessly combines servo and scanner motion to extend the marking capability of the scanner across the entire travel range of the servo stages. This eliminates stitching errors that can occur in a more traditional move-expose-repeat process.