Aerotech, the -based precision motion control and automation specialist, has introduced a new line of compact hexapod drives aimed at making high-performance motion systems more accessible across industries such as optics, photonics, and aerospace.
The Automation1-HXA4 and Automation1-iHXA4 drives integrate directly with Aerotech’s Automation1 motion controller network, allowing engineers to manage a hexapod as easily as any other axis within a motion system. The company said the new products simplify system design while maintaining precision and performance.
“We designed the Automation1-HXA4 and Automation1-iHXA4 hexapod drives to enable effortless coordination across complex motion systems,” said Brian Fink, Aerotech’s Product Manager. “We are making it easier for users in a variety of industries to get the best possible hexapod performance—at a very accessible price point.”
The new six-axis drives are designed to complement Aerotech’s second-generation hexapod family, including models such as the HEX150-125HL. They work within the Automation1 platform, which combines development software, controllers, motor drives, a fibre-optic HyperWire communication bus, and other automation tools. The Automation1-HXA4 includes both a motion controller and a drive in a single unit.
Aerotech said the drives’ compact design minimises panel space requirements and reduces wiring complexity, requiring only two connectors per hexapod. Built-in features include analogue and digital I/O, Part-Speed Position-Synchronised Output (PSO), and Safe Torque Off (STO), offering improved performance and safety.
The company is targeting applications such as optics inspection and alignment, photonic device packaging, optical wafer probing, and aerospace and electro-optics testing.
The launch underscores Aerotech’s continued push to expand its Automation1 ecosystem, which the company positions as a complete solution for precision automation and motion control.
