PI Debuts Magnetic Levitation Technology at SEMICON West
The new motion systems eliminate mechanical friction to improve precision in industrial and research applications.
Updated on Oct. 30, 2026 in Materials Science
PI unveiled advanced magnetic levitation motion technology demonstrators during the 2026 SEMICON West conference. These systems utilize actively controlled magnetic fields to replace traditional mechanical bearings.
Why it matters
By removing the need for mechanical bearings, this technology eliminates wear, friction, and lubrication requirements while preventing particle generation. It also streamlines industrial assembly by reducing the need to stack multiple mechanical positioning stages.
The linear MagLev stage offers 400 mm of primary travel with 400 µm of auxiliary motion in Y and Z, while supporting accelerations up to 6g. Its AFM XY scanner achieves 50 picometer resolution across scan ranges reaching 50 mm.
The players
PI
PI is a technology company that specializes in precision motion control systems and nanopositioning solutions.
SEMICON West 2026
SEMICON West 2026 is an annual industry conference focused on the semiconductor manufacturing and supply chain sectors.
The details
Magnetic levitation systems provide six-axis control, allowing alignment and positioning errors to be corrected electronically rather than physically. The technology also enables force-controlled bonding exceeding 100 N.
Timeline
October 30, 2026: PI introduced the MagLev motion technology at SEMICON West 2026.
The Big Picture
This innovation marks a shift toward contactless motion, moving away from legacy mechanical bearing-based positioning stages. By adopting active magnetic control, the industry may replace complex stacked hardware with simplified, high-precision systems.
This technology could lead to the development of higher-precision manufacturing equipment for the semiconductor industry. These improvements may eventually result in more efficient production processes and higher-quality electronic components.
The takeaway
This development highlights how magnetic field control is replacing physical mechanical constraints in high-precision engineering. Readers in the manufacturing sector should note that these systems could significantly lower maintenance needs by removing wear-prone parts.
Further reading
For more information on the latest industry advancements, visit the Materials Science section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by AZoNano.
