Air bearings have been a niche-type technology employed mostly in laboratories and instruments. But as the drive for precision presses the technical limits of other bearing types, the high-precision properties of air bearings become more attractive. The object of this article is, first, to put air bearings into historical context; second, to enumerate the relative merits of different types of air bearings and; third, to explore potential applications.
The conventional practice of stacking linear guide systems to produce x-y platens has inherent errors. The purpose of this paper is to explore the feasibility of using variances in the pressure or vacuum to achieve precise positioning in the z direction.
This paper reviews the advantages of air bearings for machine tools. It presents bearings and assembly processes that are robust and economical. Results from straightness, stiffness and dynamic response measurements comparing similar rolling element and air bearing ram type guide assemblies taken at NIST are also presented.
Grinding process optimization traditionally entails adjustments to achieve the highest level of productivity. Machine dynamics have been a limiting factor because they are not readily adjustable. This research demonstrates that machine dynamic characteristics can be adjusted by varying the stiffness of hydrostatic slide units. This would be significant because, through an intelligent adjustment at setup or through an active feedback system, the structural dynamics could be optimized, creating a chatterless grinder (or at least an increase machine productivity).
This paper covers New Way's work with its Vacuum Chamber Stage concept. Instead of trying to build a stage inside a vacuum chamber, or reaching through a chamber wall, the concept under test provides for the stage itself to become the vacuum chamber. Having the only (or primary) vacuum chamber completely contained inside the moving stage means that all motion systems can exist outside of the vacuum.