Renishaw’s ATOM™ miniature encoder offers enhanced design flexibility with new PCB interface

3 July 2017

Renishaw's miniature encoder ATOM is now available with the new ACi PCB interface, offering enhanced design flexibility for space constrained applications in an easy to install PCB-mountable package.

The ACi interface range was launched with ATOM in 2014 and is a range of high performance, miniature, open interpolator subsystems. The ACi offers digital interpolation down to 10 nm (on a 20 µm scale pitch system) and speeds as high as 13 m/s (40 MHz counter frequency, 40 µm scale) for the ATOM readhead.

The ACi PCB builds on Renishaw's existing interpolation expertise with an easy to install PCB-mountable package. The interface gives the same interpolation performance as the standard ACi offering, but now comes with board-to-board connectors for both direct connection to and mounting on the PCB, removing the need for cable connectors. This enhances design flexibility as it allows the readhead to be far removed from the interpolator. For instance, an ATOM readhead may be connected to a PCB that in turn interfaces with another separate PCB on to which the ACi is mounted. The ACi PCB interface is compatible with all ATOM encoders and suitable for applications that have space constraints. Potential advanced applications for the new interface include those in the motion control, medical and back-end semiconductor industries.

About ATOM

ATOM's unrivalled metrology provides class-leading accuracy with low Sub-Divisional Error (SDE), low jitter, high signal stability and long-term reliability. ATOM offers analogue speeds up to 20 m/s and digital resolutions to 1 nm when used with Renishaw's interpolation electronics. A range of linear and rotary scales are available in stainless steel and glass.

Applications for ATOM's ultra-compact readhead include laser scanning, precision micro-stages, semiconductor, medical applications, DDR motors, microscopy and scientific research. Additionally, the Flexible-Printed Circuit variant of ATOM measures just 6.8 mm x 12.7 mm x 20.5 mm and is ideally suited to a variety of space-critical motion control, inspection and metrology applications. ATOM has CE approval and is manufactured by Renishaw, using strict quality controlled processes that are certified to ISO 9001:2008, and, like all Renishaw encoders, is backed by a truly responsive global sales and support network.

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