High-precision ‘flying carpet’

Since 2002, Eindhoven University of Technology has been investigating fully contactless xy-positioning systems. These magnetically levitated planar actuators consist of a single carrier with permanent magnets that is levitated above an array of coils and can move fast and accurately over long distances in the xy-plane. Because the magnets are moving, there are no cables or cooling hoses connected to the moving part. Nevertheless, data and energy can still be transferred, using contactless links. This high-precision ‘flying carpet’ was one of the subjects in the lecture programme at the Precision Fair 2008.