AeroLas develops and manufactures custom aerostatic air bearings and air-bearing drive systems for precision applications.
AeroLas GmbH
Unterhaching (Headquarters) · Aying (Production) · Shanghai (Sales/Service iStar, China)New on Amplifa
About AeroLas
AeroLas GmbH is a company founded in 1997 as a spin-off of the Technical University of Munich in Unterhaching near Munich, which develops and produces aerostatic air bearings and air-guided drive systems. The patented technology is based on laser-drilled micro nozzles with diameters of 0.02 mm to 0.06 mm, manufactured fully automatically, and enables sub-µm precision as well as disturbance motions of less than 2 nanometers. The product range extends from individual air bearings through functional solutions for high-volume production to complex high-performance drives with in-house drive control. Development relies on proprietary simulation software continuously refined over more than twenty years, combined with FEM calculations, modal analyses and thermal deformation analyses. Bearing bodies are made of steel, granite and glass; fields of application are in particular semiconductor manufacturing, electronics and flat-panel production, metrology and the optics industry. Production takes place in Aying (Bavaria); for China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao, sales and service are handled by iStar (Shanghai).
- Site
- Unterhaching
- Processes
- Air bearing technology (air bearings, patented micro-nozzle technology), Laser drilling of micro nozzles (diameters 0.02 mm to 0.06 mm, fully automatic), Vacuum preload of air bearings, Magnetic preload of air bearings, Simulation of air bearings and drive systems (proprietary software, FEM, modal analysis), Flexible bearing bodies for highly dynamic and thermally stressed, Air-bearing slide for vapor deposition on glass substrates (ALD process, 350 °C), High-vacuum applications
- Materials
- Steel, Granite, Glass, Glass panels/substrates (for vacuum/ALD processes), Porous bearing materials (sintered air bearings, mentioned as a comparison technology), Foil (contactless transport)
- Founded
- 1997
- Industries
- Semiconductor manufacturing, Electronics, Flat-panel production, Metrology, Optics industry, Consumer goods and production machinery
- 01
Feasibility study
- 02
Simulation (proprietary software, FEM)
- 03
Air bearing/drive design
- 04
Laser drilling of the micro nozzles
- 05
Manufacture of the bearing bodies
- 06
Assembly
- 07
Drive control/commissioning
Locations
Unterhaching
DEHead office/HQ
Aying
DEProduction
- Lot size
- Single pieces to high-volume production
- Materials
- Steel, granite, glass
- Fully automatic laser drilling of micro nozzles (0.02–0.06 mm)
Shanghai
CNSales and service partner (iStar) for China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air bearing technology (air bearings, patented micro-nozzle technology)Engineering | Sub-µm precision; disturbance motions <2 nanometers | – | – | – | Steel, Granite, Glass, porous bearing materials (comparison technology) |
| Laser drilling of micro nozzles (diameters 0.02 mm to 0.06 mm, fully automatic)Manufacturing/Laser processing | – | – | – | Small series – High-volume series | – |
| Vacuum preload of air bearingsEngineering | – | – | – | – | Granite, Steel, Glass |
| Magnetic preload of air bearingsEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Simulation of air bearings and drive systems (proprietary software, FEM, modal analysis)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Flexible bearing bodies for highly dynamic and thermally stressedEngineering | Flatness of bearing surfaces <2 µm; gap 10–15 µm | approx. 200 x 200 mm² and larger | – | – | Granite, Steel, Glass |
| Air-bearing slide for vapor deposition on glass substrates (ALD process, 350 °C)Engineering | – | Slide approx. 1.6 m; stator approx. 2.2 | – | – | Glass |
| High-vacuum applicationsEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| High-dynamic short-stroke driveEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Reaction force compensationEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Balancing of spindlesEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Non-contact foil/glass transportHandling | – | – | – | – | Foil, Glass |
| Force limitation and force control (e.g. assembly of microchips)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Contactless media transfer through the bearing air gap (gases/vacuum in rotary and linearEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Lightweight design of air-bearing systemsEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Production and assembly of custom air-guided solutionsAssembly | – | – | – | Single pieces – High-volume series | – |
Additional services
History
- 1997
Founded as a spin-off of the Technical University of Munich in Unterhaching near Munich
- 2002
Japan became the first key market