J Series Air Spindles

 

J Series Air Spindles

Specifications Sheet

New Way® Air Spindles provide a frictionless alternative to magnetic, oil, or bearing-based spindle solutions. Through the use of our Porous Media Technology™, we generate a micro-thin cushion of air between the rotor and the stator, eliminating sub-synchronous motion and reducing asynchronous error by orders of magnitude.

The J Series air spindles are designed for superior precision through their monolithic (single piece) rotor design. This eliminates the alignment and geometric inconsistencies which arise in multi-piece rotors, such as those in the T series (which use two plates and a center section bolted together).
 
Among the key advantages over the T series:
  • Lower synchronous error: The rotor’s single-piece construction allows for nearly perfect geometry, significantly reducing fundamental synchronous error (the deviation from a perfect rotational position per revolution).
  • Improved accuracy for precision applications: Ideal for tasks like optical inspection or other applications where slower speeds and high positional accuracy are critical.
  • Manufacturing quality: The monolithic rotor design reduces the need for complex grinding and alignment processes, ensuring more consistent error motion performance compared to multi-piece spindles.

Other key benefits applicable to all porous media air spindles include:

 
Faster Rotation

Unlike complex magnetic suspension or oil-based lubrication systems, the air spindle’s Frictionless Motion®️ means zero dynamic, contacting components, eliminating mechanical wear, and increasing the lifespan of your assemblies. With friction eliminated, air spindles open the door to far faster rotational speeds, providing faster motion while retaining a degree of accuracy only limited by the servo and controller system you choose.

Safer Operation

New Way Air Spindles are an exceptionally low flow technology, taking almost six hours to push one cubic meter of air through a 50mm x 100mm bearing, and thus, are extremely efficient in operation when compared to orifice-based systems. If airflow is somehow disrupted to the air bearing, the porous nature of the bearing surface means depressurization will occur slowly, allowing for a soft landing, ensuring the spindle and the guide surface remain undamaged. Contrast this with orifice and magnetic bearings which can often fail in catastrophic ways, and we see how air spindles provide all the benefits with none of the drawbacks.

Cleanroom Compliance

Click to view full testing and analysis report. The unique nature of our porous media products makes air spindles an inherently cleanroom compatible technology. While air is already cleaned and filtered prior to entering the bearing, the size of the openings in the bearing face acts as a natural sib-micron filter. Internal testing by New Way places all of our bearing products as being ISO Class 3 cleanroom compliant (less than 1,000 x 0.1μm particles / m3), and arguably even meeting the stringent requirements for ISO Class 1.

For the modern manufacturing facility, whether it be pharmaceutical, semiconductors, or aerospace, cleanroom manufacturing is rapidly becoming a best practice, and air spindles are up to the task.

Standard and Custom Engineering

All air spindles come in a variety of sizes and stator configurations to accommodate an array of rotary applications. Air spindles can be paired with a motor/encoder of your choice. Or, if you desire a fully integrated solution, New Way also offers Servo-Drive Rotary Stages, capable of 1.1-arcsecond precision.

New Way also has a proud history of providing bespoke engineering solutions, so if you need something made to your exact specifications, we have the in-house design and manufacturing expertise to make that happen.

  • No asynchronous error motion
  • Low synchronous error motion
  • High-precision
  • Faster rotation speeds
  • Crash-resistant
  • High stiffness

Applications

Don’t see your application listed? Tell us more about your precision rotary needs so we can find the right air-bearing solution for you.

Rotary Tables and Inspection Stages
  • With only one rotating element, error motions are significantly reduced allowing nano-levels of precision.
  • Without contact between the rotor and stator, mechanical issues common to rotary tables are virtually eliminated.
High Precision Mixers
  • Frictionless, non-contacting motion eliminates the need for food-grade lubricants.
  • Ideal for cleanroom environments where outgassing can be a concern.
Optical Machining
  • High-speed rotation is a must for the precision lathes used to grind optical components.
  • Nanometer levels of precision and 1.1-arcsecond precision afforded by a servo-driven rotary stage, providing the exact motion you need.
Additional Applications
  • Metrology
  • Dynamometry
  • Robotic-end effectors
  • Drilling, boring, milling
  • Ability to be paired with linear slides for multi-axis motion

J Series Spindle Product Line

J Series Air spindles are available in a wide range of standard sizes, in both round and square stator configurations, for your specific application. Don’t see your size here? Contact us to discuss custom options.


S5075XXSS-375 - 75mm "J" Series Air Spindle
J Series Air Spindle
S5075XXSS-375 - 75mm "J" Series Air Spindle

S5050XXSS5050XX - 50mm "J" Series Air Spindle
J Series Air Spindle
S5050XXSS5050XX - 50mm "J" Series Air Spindle

S5040XXSS5040XX - 40mm "J" Series Air Spindle
J Series Air Spindle
S5040XXSS5040XX - 40mm "J" Series Air Spindle

S5025XXSS5025XX - 25mm "J" Series Air Spindle
J Series Air Spindle
S5025XXSS5025XX - 25mm "J" Series Air Spindle

S5020XXSS5020XX - 20mm "J" Series Air Spindle
J Series Air Spindle
S5020XXSS5020XX - 20mm "J" Series Air Spindle

S5013XXS5013XX - 13mm "J" Series Air Spindle
J Series Air Spindle
S5013XXS5013XX - 13mm "J" Series Air Spindle

S5006XXS5006XX - 6mm "J" Series Air Spindle
J Series Air Spindle
S5006XXS5006XX - 6mm "J" Series Air Spindle

Units: US METRIC

Comparision Table

Size SKU Part # Input Pressure Axial Load Radial Load
2.95 in75 mm
S5075XXSS-375 S5075XXSS-375 60 psi0.41 MPa 353 lbs1572N 01 = 14.6lbs , 02 = 30lbs, 03 = 22lbs01 = 65N, 02 = 133N, 03 = 99N
2 in50 mm
S5050XXSS5050XX S5050XXSS5050XX 60 psi0.41 MPa 152 lbs98N 01 = 14.6lbs , 02 = 30lbs, 03 = 22lbs01 = 65N, 02 = 133N, 03 = 99N
1.57 in40 mm
S5040XXSS5040XX S5040XXSS5040XX 60 psi0.41 MPa 126 lbs463N 01 = 14.6lbs , 02 = 30lbs, 03 = 22lbs01 = 65N, 02 = 133N, 03 = 99N
1 in25 mm
S5025XXSS5025XX S5025XXSS5025XX 60 psi0.41 MPa 50 lbs223N 01 = 14.6lbs , 02 = 30lbs, 03 = 22lbs01 = 65N, 02 = 133N, 03 = 99N
0.78 in20 mm
S5020XXSS5020XX S5020XXSS5020XX 60 psi0.41 MPa 34 lbs154N 01 = 14.6lbs , 02 = 30lbs, 03 = 22lbs01 = 65N, 02 = 133N, 03 = 99N
0.5 in13 mm
S5013XXS5013XX S5013XXS5013XX 60 psi0.41 MPa 22 lbs98N 01 = 14.6lbs , 02 = 30lbs, 03 = 22lbs01 = 65N, 02 = 133N, 03 = 99N
0.24 in6 mm
S5006XXS5006XX S5006XXS5006XX 60 psi0.41 MPa 5.62 lbs25N 01 = 14.6lbs , 02 = 30lbs, 03 = 22lbs01 = 65N, 02 = 133N, 03 = 99N


CUSTOMER PROVEN SOLUTIONS

Learn More About the Porous Media Difference