The SmartTable-UT Upgradeable Optical Table Introduced

Irvine, CA - Newport Corporation announced the upgradeable optical table, the SmartTable-UT. These tables are the only tables in the world that can be upgraded with Newport's patent pending IQ active vibration dampers which provide superior platform stability for sensitive applications such as bio-photonic imaging, laser micromachining and laser annealing. These new tables are offered with two levels of passive damping performance and can be field upgraded by users in minutes.

"The SmartTable-UT delivers a level of flexibility and performance that is unmatched in the industry," said James Fisher, Director of Marketing for Vibration and Motion Control at Newport. "Because these tables have been designed with an upgrade path to accept our proprietary IQ active vibration dampers, our customers can be assured that its performance can be even further improved as their applications become more demanding or conditions change."

Fisher continued, "In traditional research and development applications our customers would painstakingly attempt to select the appropriate table based upon their sensitivity requirements, environmental conditions and other foreseeable disturbances. Unfortunately, a miscalculation or improper table selection would cost thousands of dollars to correct and possibly months of time to rebuild intricate applications. With these upgradeable tables we are providing our customers
with the ability to acquire a table that meets their initial budgetary and performance needs but also with the security to improve performance without the exorbitant costs and wasted time of a full table replacement."

Newport's SmartTable-UT series tables are the only tables that feature internal docking and mounting surfaces for Newport's patent pending intelligent Q (iQ) Technology which can actively monitor, report, and adjust table damping performance. This provides a dramatically quieter work surface which results in faster settling times, minimized relative motion of the table top, long term stability and the ability to make measurements that previously required the quietest lab environments. In addition to its iQ-damping technology the SmartTable-UT controller's analog outputs can also be integrated into the entire system to serve as an additional feedback source for monitoring, triggering or halting processes based upon vibration levels. This can be particularly effective for sensitive optical manufacturing processes, precise laser micromachining, micro-electronics processing, or device testing and can dramatically improve throughput and yield.

"In many instances, the SmartTable has allowed our customers to reach new levels of system sensitivity that could not have been reached with passively damped systems. This includes better sensitivity from atomic force microscopes, improved stability in laser cavities and more detailed photonic imaging used by leading biologists and chemists which could lead to advanced treatments for Parkinson's, Alzheimers or cancer." added Fisher.

SOURCE: Newport Corporation