NUMERIK JENA offers small scale linear encoder for limited space applications

Numerik Jena LIK 41

CONTACT:

Kevin Kaufenberg, Product Manager, North America, 847-490-0387
Kathleen Stoneski, PR Manager, North America, 847-519-4702

Schaumburg, IL (May 2015) – NUMERIK JENA’s LIK 41 kit-style optical linear encoder is ideally suited for those motion feedback applications where space is limited. The scanning unit has a very low height profile and the graduation carrier has two ways of mounting and is offered in many choices of lengths. Now available in North America through HEIDENHAIN Corporation, this flat linear encoder serves applications in a wide variety of industries such as semiconductor, medical, metrology, and automation.

The LIK 41 encoder scales have a graduation of 20µm with lengths up to 30m. There are two ways of mounting the scale: Singleflex and Doubleflex. Singleflex is mounted directly to the machine axis with a specially engineered adhesive on the back. Doubleflex is the preferred method by engineers to mount a scale when high accuracy is required. A base metal layer is affixed to the axis of motion via a pin on the left side of the scale, and an oil film and another metal layer with the graduation imprinted rests on top of the base metal tape. The specially designed very thin oil film allows for free thermal growth with low friction, but yet the top metal layer does not fall away from the base tape due to a recommended fixing point at one location. Accuracies to +/- 1 micron are achievable with the Doubleflex mounting arrangement. Reference marks are also imprinted on the scales in the middle, or every 50mm, or by customer request.

The scanning units on the LIK 41 are small in size with a height dimension of only 6mm. They contain an excellent electrical shielding scheme so they can be mounted close to motors in the application. The scanning units can be programmed once installed to the linear scale in order to maximize the signal quality and build in signal margin for long life of the machine operation. The scanning units output either a 1 Volt Peak to peak analog or TTL interface. Resolutions down to 50 nanometers are possible with the TTL (RS 422) versions.

For more information on NUMERIK JENA, the North American contact is Kevin Kaufenberg at 847-490-0387 in the HEIDENHAIN Corporation offices at 333 E. State Parkway, Schaumburg, IL  60173.

NUMERIK JENA is based in Jena, Germany with North American representation and distribution through sister company HEIDENHAIN Corporation in Schaumburg, IL, USA. Established in 1970 and originating as part the Carl Zeiss enterprise, NUMERIK JENA is known worldwide for offering high quality compact linear and rotary encoders for positioning of implements and workparts in high precision settings. All NUMERIK JENA products are contact-free to assure a motion sequence free of backlash, and are commonly found in XY and rotary tables, equipment for semiconductor production, robots, and medical device applications.