Aerotech ANT130LZ Series, Hardware Manual, Page: 24 / 52

2.2.1. Setting up the Pneumatic Counterbalance
WARNING: General Hazard Warning!
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If you do not adjust counterbalance according to the instructions that follow, you can
possibly injure yourself or cause damage the equipment.
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If the pneumatic counterbalance suddenly loses pressure, the carriage will quickly
drop. This could cause an injury or damage the equipment.
By default, the ANT130LZ pneumatic counterbalance is factory set to operate in the as-shipped
condition. For stages that are shipped unloaded, the counterbalance is set for the mass of the
carriage only. For stages that ship with payloads or other axes attached, the counterbalance is set for
the mass of the carriage plus the additional mass. Any adjustment to the mass that is carried by the
counterbalance cylinder, either adding or subtracting payload, necessitates an adjustment to the
counterbalance pressure supplied to the pneumatic cylinder.
A standard ANT130LZ stage has one counterbalance cylinder with a piston area of 4.53x10
-4
m
2
, and
the moving mass of a standard ANT130LZ carriage assembly is 1.3 kg (2.9 lb) for 35 mm travel and
1.5 kg (3.3 lb) for 60 mm travel. An estimate of the counterbalance pressure required to support
additional load is given by the following:
where
Pc = Required counterbalance pressure in MPa (maximum 0.6 MPa allowed)
mp = mass of external payload in kg.
This relationship is shown graphically in Figure 2-3 .
Figure 2-3: Counterbalance Pressure vs. External Payload
ANT130LZ Hardware Manual
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