Motorized Goniometers
Did You Know?
The word goniometer is derived from the Greek terms gonia and metron, which mean angle and measure, respectively. A goniometer is an instrument that measures an angle or allows an object to be rotated to a precise angular position, and is used in motion control applications. Goniometers are similar to linear stages, but rather than providing linear movement, the stage partially rotates about a fixed point above the mounting surface of the stage. They also allow tip and tilt adjustment of any optical component and are often used to accurately direct lasers and align mirrors in beam steering applications.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Goniometers are devices used to rotate an object with extreme precision within a small angular range. These stages can control motion about any desired fixed point in space, making them excellent devices for projects requiring high levels of accuracy.
Every goniometer design includes both a guide and a drive mechanism. The guide mechanism can be a curved bearing, a crossed roller guide, or an air bearing. The drive mechanism can be a worm gear, a lead screw, a ball screw, or a direct-drive motor. Combined, these components support the rotation of the Goniometer. Typical rotations can be as little as a few arc-seconds or up to 90 degrees.
The most common applications of motorized goniometers include the alignment of lasers, mirrors, and lenses in microscopy equipment, although they are also used in a wide variety of laboratory projects.
Although the two are very similar in the sense that they provide motorized controlled movement, linear stages provide solely linear movement while goniometers rotate about a desired point. A goniometer and linear stage can be combined or “stacked” to allow both linear and rotational movement simultaneously.
Most Goniometers are accurate to 10 arcmins, or 0.165 degrees. However, the precision will also depend on the drive mechanism as well as the accuracy and reproducibility of the drive motor.
When selecting a motorized goniometer, it is important to review the key specifications including the range of motion, bi-directional accuracy, and maximum speed. Also check out the other question in this series regarding the important features of motorized goniometers.
Motorized Goniometers are precision motion control instruments and the prices can vary significantly depending on the performance parameters and included features. To find out the price of any product model, please reach out to the suppliers directly. Simply navigate to the respective product page and use the “Inquire Price” button.
When selecting a motorized goniometer, you will want to carefully examine your requirements beforehand to make sure that you are not paying for something that you do not need. Some of the important features of Motorized Goniometers include vacuum compatibility, range of motion, accuracy, built-in controllers, and mirco-step size if it uses a stepper motor as a driver.
Common driving mechanisms are worm gears, ball screw, lead screw, and direct-drive motors. Worm gear is ideal for situations needing more torque for less speed. Ball/Lead Screws convert rotary motion to linear motion; ball screws are better for smoother motions and efficiency, lead screws are used when precision is not as critical. Direct-drive: motor where force is transmitted without the use of gear trains or other couplings.