Dances with foils

The ‘dancer’ solution developed by IBS Precision Engineering includes control techniques for tracking in both the travel and the orthogonal direction, and stabilisation techniques for the vertical direction. Foil handling has been optimised to reduce damage to sensitive foils. This Mikroniek article describes how the interferometric system has been demonstrated on a pilot line, handling photovoltaic foils with ultra-low reflectivity, measuring nanometer features – this is a world first. (Image courtesy of IBS Precision Engineering).