Basic examination of simultaneous optimization of mechanical and control design for gantry-type precision stage modeled as two-mass 4-DOF system

Gantry-type precision stages are generally designed so that its center of mass can be moved using motors. However, it is impossible to set the gap between the center of mass and the drive point to be exactly zero in real processes manufacturing. This gap causes resonance in the pitching direction. In this paper, a two-mass four-degree-of-freedom (4-DOF) model is constructed for the stage with the gap. Then, the design optimization method of particular parameter variations of the stage is proposed. Finally, simulations and experiments with an experimental precision stage are performed to show the advantages of the proposed optimization method.