US-Made Linear Air Bearing Guides – Passive & Driven Options

Shrewsbury, MA — PI (Physik Instrumente), a global leader in precision motion control and positioning solutions, offers standard and custom air-bearing linear slides for advanced motion applications. Drawing on decades of engineering and manufacturing experience from PI’s U.S. teams in Massachusetts, these air-bearing systems are designed for ultra-smooth, frictionless linear motion with zero stick-slip and sub-micron straightness and flatness performance.

PI USA Provides Engineered Precision Gantry Positioning Systems

More on Air Bearing Linear Guides / Linear Slides

Frictionless Motion Performance for Demanding Applications
Air bearing slides float on a thin film of pressurized air, eliminating mechanical contact between moving and stationary components. This design delivers virtually zero friction, zero wear, and exceptional motion uniformity, making them ideal for:

• Precision metrology and surface profiling
• Semiconductor wafer inspection and processing
• Optical and mechanical alignment, precision assembly
• Ultra-high-resolution scanning systems
• Research and laboratory instrumentation

Key Features & Benefits

• 50 to 1000mm motion range
• 9 platform sizes: 50x50 to 300x300mm
• Up to 760kg load
• Sub-micrometer-level straightness and flatness
• No lubrication required, eliminating particulate generation
• Zero backlash and zero stick-slip for smooth, uniform motion
• Long-term performance with no mechanical wear
• Configurable for integration with integrated motors, linear encoders, or external drive systems

Engineered for Integration
These U.S.-manufactured passive air bearing rails can be paired with manual adjustment mechanisms or integrated into larger automated positioning systems using linear motors or other actuation technologies. Available in multiple sizes and load capacities, PI’s slides are cleanroom-compatible and can be customized for specialized environments.  

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Industries Served
Optical metrology, surface profiling, Semiconductor wafer inspection, optical and mechanical alignment, precision assembly, laser technology, tribology, high-resolution scanning systems, research and laboratory instrumentation.

Read Article: 7 Reasons Why Air Bearings Outperform Mechanical Bearings 

Additional Motion Control Equipment
PI USA also designs and manufactures motorized air-bearing motion systems and a broad range of precision motion control equipment for demanding automation, metrology, photonics, semiconductor, and research applications. In addition to standard and custom air-bearing linear slides, the company offers direct-drive linear and rotary stages, multi-axis positioning systems, nanopositioning stages, piezo actuators, hexapods, fast steering mirrors, and integrated motion subsystems. These technologies allow engineers to combine long travel, high dynamics, frictionless motion, nanometer-level resolution, and precise multi-axis precision motion control in systems built for both laboratory use and industrial production environments.