New ½ Ton High-Load Hexapod Family Combines 6-Axis Precision Motion with Payloads up to 500 kg

Four Configurations, and Custom Designs to Balance Load Capacity, Speed, Travel Range, and Installation Space

SHREWSBURY, Mass., Oct. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- PI (Physik Instrumente), a leader in precision motion control and nanopositioning solutions, offers the H-855 high-load hexapod family for applications requiring precise multi-axis positioning of heavy components. Supporting payloads up to 500 kg (1,100 lbs), the six-degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) systems give engineers greater flexibility in designing automated equipment and precision alignment processes.

Flexible Motion Control for Heavy Loads
Conventional multi-axis positioning systems often require multiple stacked stages to achieve motion along linear and rotational axes. The H-855 uses parallel kinematics, with six actuators working together between a fixed base and a moving platform. This architecture enables coordinated motion in X, Y, Z, pitch, roll, and yaw while providing a compact mechanical arrangement for demanding applications.

The H-855 family includes four configurations, allowing engineers to prioritize different performance requirements. Depending on the model, systems offer:

• Travel: ≤ 320 mm Z, Y; ≤ 150 mm Z
• Rotational travel: up to ±27° θX, θY; up to ±60° θZ
• Maximum velocity: ≤ 10 mm/s
• Minimum incremental motion: 0.15 – 4.5 µm

Designed for Integration and Application-Specific Requirements
The H-855 combines brushless DC gear motors with absolute rotary encoders, providing position information immediately after power-up without requiring a conventional referencing move. This can simplify integration into automated equipment, particularly where homing movements are inconvenient or restricted by the surrounding mechanics.

Compatible with PI's C-887 series hexapod controllers, the system accepts positioning commands in Cartesian coordinates. Software-based coordinate transformations simplify multi-axis motion control, while a programmable pivot point allows engineers to define the center of rotation according to the needs of the application.

Applications and Industries Served
The H-855 family is suited to demanding positioning and alignment tasks in industrial automation, semiconductor manufacturing, optics, aerospace, and simulation systems. Its modular mechanical architecture also provides flexibility to adapt actuator arrangements, gear ratios, travel ranges, and other design parameters to specific application requirements. Custom configurations can be developed when standard models do not meet the required mechanical or motion specifications.

By offering multiple configurations within one product family, PI helps engineers select a positioning platform that balances payload, precision, speed, travel, and installation constraints without compromising the benefits of six-axis motion.

More information: H-855 High-Load Hexapod Family for Precision 6-Axis Positioning of Loads to 500kg 

About PI
PI is a leading global manufacturer of piezo materials, piezo mechanical systems, hexapod 6-axis stages, air bearings, precision motion control, and nanopositioning solutions. For more than 50 years, PI has developed standard and custom solutions for OEM and industry leaders in photonics, semiconductor, laser, medical/life sciences, and aerospace applications.

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SOURCE Physik Instrumente (PI)