X-Y tables help provide horizontal motion for automated machinery such as assembly robots in manufacturing facilities. Robotic arms and other automated machinery have only a limited range of motion

Range of motion

Range of motion , is the distance that a movable object may normally travel while properly attached to another object. It is also called range of travel, particularly when talking about mechanical devices and in mechanical engineering fields...

 while their bases remain stationary; X-Y tables allow these basis to move horizontally along X and Y axis

Cartesian coordinate system

A Cartesian coordinate system specifies each point uniquely in a plane by a pair of numerical coordinates, which are the signed distances from the point to two fixed perpendicular directed lines, measured in the same unit of length...

. Also known as XY stages, XY tables are motorized linear slides with linear motion based in bearings which are driven by a drive mechanism, typically a linear motor

Linear motor

A linear motor is an electric motor that has had its stator and rotor "unrolled" so that instead of producing a torque it produces a linear force along its length...

. XY tables are built and configured to provide high-performance positioning along multiple axis.

Applications

Serving industries including general machinery, pharmaceutical, manufacturing and semiconductor, XY tables offer precision-controlled automated movement. XY tables are broadly used in mechanical processes and applications including material handling, industrial automation

Automation

Automation is the use of control systems and information technologies to reduce the need for human work in the production of goods and services. In the scope of industrialization, automation is a step beyond mechanization...

 equipment, machinery building and automated measurement.

Construction

XY tables are flat surfaces mounted on ball bearing

Ball bearing

A ball bearing is a type of rolling-element bearing that uses balls to maintain the separation between the bearing races.The purpose of a ball bearing is to reduce rotational friction and support radial and axial loads. It achieves this by using at least two races to contain the balls and transmit...

 slides or roller slides with multiple linear bases and are composed of forcers and platens. The forcer glides over the platen on frictionless air bearings

Fluid bearing

Fluid bearings are bearings which support the bearing's loads solely on a thin layer of liquid or gas.They can be broadly classified as fluid dynamic bearings or hydrostatic bearings. Hydrostatic bearings are externally pressurized fluid bearings, where the fluid is usually oil, water or air, and...

 and moves continuously in a linear motion across the platen. To create multiple axis, linear bases are often stacked on top of one another, with the top "Y" axis acting both as a carriage to the bottom base and as the base which holds the table. Adjustable gibs can be attached on both axis. These types of XY tables, used frequently for the movement of robotic, are often called "positioning tables". Materials used to construct XY tables include stainless steel

Stainless steel

In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....

 and cast iron

Cast iron

Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...

as well as bronze for bearings and aluminum for frames.

Types

Variations among XY tables include the ways and the drive mechanism. The ways determine load capacity, straight-line accuracy, and stiffness, or durability, while the drive mechanisms determine smoothness and speed. In general, XY tables require very little maintenance, and are considered to be highly accurate, easy-to-use and lightweight. However, depending on the weight of the load, ball bearings within XY ball bearing tables and slides can acquire a significant amount of wear and may need to be replaced regularly.