N-331 PICMAWalk Walking Drive
OEM Walking Drive for Durable Applications with up to 15 mm/s Velocity and up to 50 N Push/Pull Force
- Robust and industrially usable walking drive with PICMA® technology for extreme durability
- Fastest and strongest drive of its size class
- Variable runner lengths from 25 mm to 100 mm
- Precise, nanometer precision positioning of loads up to 5 kg
- Plug-and-play, thanks to PI proprietary controller technology
Fields of application
- Industrial precision positioning
- Semiconductor technology
- Semiconductor tests
- Wafer inspection
- Lithography
- Nanoimprinting
- Nanometrology
- Motion in strong magnetic fields and in a vacuum
Outstanding lifetime thanks to PICMA® piezo actuators
The patented PICMA® piezo actuators are all-ceramic insulated. This protects them against humidity and failure resulting from an increase in leakage current. PICMA® actuators offer an up to ten times longer lifetime than conventional polymer-insulated actuators. 100 billion cycles without a single failure are proven.
Nanometer precision and high feed force with PiezoWalk® walking drives
Several piezo actuators perform a walking motion in the PiezoWalk® walking drive that leads to forward feed of a runner. Control of the actuators allows the smallest step and forward feed motion at a resolution of well under one nanometer.
Highly accurate position measuring with incremental encoder
Noncontact optical encoders measure the position directly at the platform with the greatest accuracy. Nonlinearity, mechanical play or elastic deformation have no influence on the measurement.
Suitable for sophisticated vacuum applications
Piezo motors from PI are principally vacuum-compatible and suitable for operation in strong magnetic fields. Special versions of the drives are available for this purpose. Piezo walking drives can also be used in cleanrooms or in environments with strong ultraviolet radiation.
Specifications
Specifications
N-331.10 / N-331.13 N-331.20 / N-331.23 N-331.40 / N-331.43 | Unit | Tolerance | |
---|---|---|---|
Active axes | X | ||
Motion and positioning | |||
Integrated sensor | N-331.x0: Without sensor N-331.x3: With incremental sensor | ||
Travel range (step mode, open loop)* | N-331.1x: 30 N-331.2x: 55 N-331.4x: 105 | mm | ±0.5 mm |
Travel range (step mode, closed loop) | N-331.1x: 25 N-331.2x: 50 N-331.4x: 100 | mm | |
Step frequency** | 600 | Hz | max. |
Velocity (step mode)** | 15 | mm/s | max. |
Travel range (analog mode) | ±10 | µm | typ. |
Resolution (open loop) | 0.02 | nm | typ. |
Resolution (closed loop) | <10 (N-331.x3) | nm | typ. |
Endurance (atmospherical operation)*** | >30 | km | |
Mechanical properties | |||
Push/pull force (active) | 50 | N | max. |
Holding force (passive) | 60 | N | max. |
Drive properties | |||
Drive type | PICMAWalk | ||
Operating voltage | -20 to 120 | V | |
Connectors | |||
Connector | Sub-D 37 (m) | ||
Miscellaneous | |||
Operating temperature range | 0 to 50 | °C | |
Material | Aluminum, stainless steel | ||
Mass with cable | N-331.1x: 580 N-331.2x: 610 N-331.4x: 660 | g | ±20 g |
Moved Mass | N-331.1x: 110 N-331.2x: 140 N-331.4x: 190 | g | ±10 g |
Cable length | 2.0 | m | ±10 mm |
Recommended electronics | E-712.1AN • E-712.2AN • E–712.3AN |
Downloads
Datasheet
Documentation
User Manual PZ271
N-331 Piezoelectric Walking Drive PICMAWalk
3-D Models
N-331 3-D model
N-331 3-D model
Quote / Order
Ask for a free quote on quantities required, prices, and lead times or describe your desired modification. All products available online can be ordered directly.

Ask an engineer!
Quickly receive an answer to your question by email or phone from a local PI sales engineer.
Technology

PiezoWalk® Walking Drives
PiezoWalk® drives were developed more than 10 years ago for the semiconductor industry, a demanding industry when it comes to reliability, position resolution and long-term stability.

PICMA® Technology
Highly reliable and extended lifetime through the patented manufacturing process for multilayer actuators.

Vacuum
Careful handling, adequate premises: PI does not only have the necessary equipment for the qualification of materials, components and final products, but also has many years of experience with regard to HV und UHV positioning systems.

Digital Motion Controllers
Digital technology opens up possibilities for improving performance in control engineering which do not exist with conventional analog technology.

Incremental Sensors
PI uses incremental measurement systems for longer travel ranges, starting from approximately one millimeter. These sensors, which in most cases are optical sensors, achieve position resolution down to the picometer range.

Multi-Axis Positioners
Hexapod platforms are used for precision positioning and alignment of loads in all six degrees of freedom, three linear axes, and three rotational axes.