[anihc]

Hi all,
We need to do some vertical lift with high precision and accuracy (+- 10 micrometers). The travel range is about 4-6 inches and step size is about 20-50 micrometers. The vertical load is about 70 lb. Moving speed will be very slow, just a few mm/s. We have two options, one is linear actuator and the other is linear translation stage. The linear actuator can be driven by an in-line stepper motor and an lead/ball screw, as shown in the link below. The linear translation stage is normally used for horizontal motion application, but can be mounted vertically with high enough vertical load capability. We are wondering which one is more better for our application. The linear actuator is much cheaper and compacter. As we checked with the vendor, the step resolution and load capability can meet our requirement. As we do not have much experience on this, we would like to hear your input. Thanks.

linear actuator
Electric Linear Actuators | Ultra Motion Products and Options

linear translation stage
PRO225 Ball-Screw Linear Stage | Aerotech, Inc.

[kdoney]

Ebay item 151646087746 will get you +- 3 microns and even has the translational bracket.

[anihc]

Ebay item 151646087746 will get you +- 3 microns and even has the translational bracket.

Thanks, I will take a look.

[loka]

in reality, 20 micron positioning accuracy without feedback of linear screw is not easy to achieve without ground ball screw. Repeatability will be easy to achieve but not the positioning accuracy. Rodless linear actuators with ground ball screw would be my choice if accuracy is truly important but it will not be cheap.