Precision Zone Air Bars

 

Precision Zone Air Bars

If you need precision control during an inspection process then look to New Way® Air Bearings. Our Precision Zone line of air bars combines our Porous Media Technology™ with a tighter array of vacuum pressure holes. This permits 25-micron fly heights with a control range of 5 microns. The increased stiffness of our Precision Zone line is stable to 1 nanometer. With consistent flatness across the entire surface, these air bars are ideal for inspecting small areas during conveyance.

Our air bars are constructed from a soft carbon substrate that is naturally porous and won’t scratch delicate materials. Air flow through the bars is regulated by the millions of submicron holes to create a stable and stiff air cushion between the air bar and your materials. Production will never be interrupted by crashes since pressure gradients are essentially eliminated. The non-contact nature of our air bars means you never have to worry about your materials being damaged by the conveyor.

Our air bars are most commonly used in the flat panel display and solar panel manufacturing processes. The Precision Zone air bars are also useful for inspecting specific areas of semiconductor wafers or other materials that require high-level analysis for inconsistencies.

The Precision Zone air bars can be easily combined with our other air bars to provide superior flatness and stability in a desired region of the material. The vacuum pressure also reduces floating when the material moves on and off the air bars.

Clean Room Compliant

Click to view full testing and analysis report

The unique use of porous media in air bars makes them ideal for clean room use. Not only is less air used in air bars when compared to orifice-based air bearings, but the air is evenly distributed by the porous media. Both of these features minimize the potential of currents or eddies in the clean room and its damaging impacts on production.

Another benefit of the use of porous media is its ability to perform as a sub-micron filter for the air emitted. Testing indicates the bearing satisfies the requirements of Class 1 (ISO class 3) cleanliness, with airborne particulate concentrate limits of less than 1,000 x 0.1μm particles / m3.

Want to learn more about how our Precision Zone air bars can be integrated into your manufacturing process? Tell us more about your application today!

  • Precision positioning
  • No contact
  • Small fly heights
  • No lifting
  • Stable air gaps
  • Increased air gap stiffness
  • No lubricants
  • Superior flattening
  • Cleanroom compliant
  • No crashes

Applications

The tighter array of vacuum holes make this line of air bars ideal for precision inspection of thin materials. There are other applications for our Precision Zone air bars listed here. Contact us today so we can learn more about your specific application.

Inspection
  • Vacuum holes are in a tighter array with a grid of vacuum groove for greater control of the 25-micron fly height
  • Vacuum pressure and air gaps remain unchanged as substrate moves on and off the air bars
Conveyance
  • Stiff and stable air gaps allow for no contact conveyance reducing the possibility of damaging the substrate
  • Vacuum pressure keeps glass flat and prevents lifting
Precision Control
  • No lubricants keep your cleanrooms clean
  • Air stiffness stability of ±1 nanometer and fly height control of ±5 microns for precision positioning and motion

Precision Zone Series Air Bars

The Precision Zone bar measures up to its name as our highest level of precision for fly height and control range, ideal for inspecting and analyzing specific areas of interest. The design ensures the vacuum pressure and air gaps are the same across the entire bar. This superior stability enables analysis and inspection of a greater percentage of the entire glass sheet.


S2225401S2225401 - 250mm x 76mm - Precision Zone Air Bars
250mm x 76mm precision zone air bars
S2225401S2225401 - 250mm x 76mm - Precision Zone Air Bars

Units: US METRIC

Comparision Table

Size Part # Input Pressure Air Film Stiffness Length Width Height Weight
250mm250mm
S2225401S2225401 20 psi0.14 MPa 1.31 lbs/µ in0.23 N/micron 9.84 in250 mm 3.0 in76 mm 1.97 in50 mm 3.08 lbs1.4 kg


Questions

We have a wide variety of air bars that will satisfy any conveying applications. Contact us today to discuss your options

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