Siskiyou Corporation has been awarded a US Patent (Patent No. 8,925,409) for a novel actuating mechanism that significantly improves the performance of top adjusted optical mounts and linear translation stages. Specifically, the Siskiyou invention mechanically isolates the rotation motion of the adjustment screw from the moving part of the mount or stage, so that turning the adjustor imparts only linear, and virtually no torsional, motion. Some unwanted rotational movement always occurs in traditional top adjusted mounts or stages, but this innovation essentially eliminates the problem entirely.
Because it dramatically enhances precision and resolution, this patented mechanism has already been incorporated into all Siskiyou IXF series monolithic, top adjust flexure mounts, and 50cr-T series top adjust, crossed roller bearing linear stages.
“Many manufacturers of laser-based instruments, from desktop flow cytometers to portable spectrometers for greenhouse gas analysis, are continually working to make their equipment more compact, rugged and reliable,” notes Robert Hodge, Siskiyou President. “Top adjusted optical mounts are an especially useful tool for making systems more compact. This is because these can be placed much closer together than traditional mounts, which require open space at their rear for actuator access. But, top adjustment necessarily requires that the actuator force be applied perpendicular to the direction of mount motion. And, this opens up the possibility that rotation of the adjustment screw will cause some slight twisting in the mount or stage in that perpendicular direction, as well as pre-loading the setup with rotational stress which can lead to shifts over time. For today’s increasingly high performance laser-based instruments, even this slight motion, at the micron level, simply can’t be tolerated. This innovation enables us to produce mounts and linear stages that can be placed close together, or even bulkhead mounted, while delivering the same superior performance and long term stability as our rear adjustment mounts.”