Workstations isolate against vibration

The Guardian workstation includes two active isolation modules. Each module contains three sensors and three actuators that actively sense and compensate vibration in six degrees of freedom in real-time. Newport’s active vibration isolation technology does not only remove the resonance response inherent to a passive system, but provides up to 34 dB of additional isolation. The isolation starts from as low as 0.5 Hz and reaches 20 dB at 1.5 Hz.

“The active Guardian workstation vastly outperforms any passive spring-based system as well as the best pneumatic workstations on the market”, says Sylvia Tan, Product Marketing Manager Vibration Control at Newport. “In addition, Guardian is not sensitive to load changes and does not require pressure air supply.”

The Guardian workstation combines active modules with Newport’s patented VIBe mechanical isolators to achieve the best performance across a wide frequency range. The VIBe isolators start isolation at 8 Hz and provide a solid foundation for the active modules to further reduce the vibration amplitudes below 50 Hz. A precision grade optical breadboard serves as tabletop for the Guardian workstation, bringing damping performance to the next level. The patented modal dampers are installed along the entire perimeter of the tabletop, providing effective broadband damping for delicate instruments.

The Guardian Controller that comes with the system features a real-time control display for all six axes as well as direct front panel access to the most essential functions. A full set of control functions for an even more precise vibration control as well as 24/7 vibration data monitoring and recording is available via software.