A dual-purpose positioner-fixture for precision six-axis positioning and precision fixturing: Part II. Characterization and calibration

The kinematics, stiffness, and repeatability of a moving groove, dual-purpose positioner-fixture were determined experimentally. A dual-purpose positioner-fixture is an alignment device that may be operated in a fixture mode or a six-axis nanopositioning mode. When operated in fixture mode, experiments show standard deviation in repeatability of 11, 11, and 38 nm in x, y, and z; and 0.7, 0.3, and 0.3 μrad in θ_x, θ_y, and θ_z. The stiffness characteristics were shown to match predictions within 5%. When operated in nanopositioner mode, the device demonstrated 4 nm resolution and a range, of 40 μm × 40 μm × 80 μm in translation and 800 μrad × 800 μrad × 400 μrad in rotation. The fixture possesses a load capacity of 450 N and a natural frequency of 200 Hz when the fixture is preloaded to 225 N.