Newport’s UTS series linear stages incorporate many of the advantages of the popular UTM series providing superior motion performance in an enhanced, shorter, and lower profile package. They use the same optimized steel body, bearings and lead screw of the UTM stages, but feature a number of mechanical improvements and completely new motor configurations.
UTS linear stages are available in three configurations. The first version, utilizing a DC motor, features an ultra-high resolution 20,000 cts/rev rotary encoder with index pulse for precision homing and is the recommended choice for applications requiring accurate bi-directional positioning. For tightest position control, the rotary encoder is directly mounted on the lead screw. This eliminates the majority of drive train error sources that affect other stages with indirect position read-out. A high-torque DC motor provides the highest dynamic speed control and allows for linear speeds up to 40 mm/s. An 11:4 belt reduction between the motor and the lead screw increases the available output torque, reduces the servo sensitivity and ensures 0.3 µm incremental motion capability with all Newport motion controllers and drivers.
The stepper motor version is a cost-effective solution for less demanding applications. When used with our XPS, ESP300, or SMC100PP controllers with high micro-stepping ...

Newport’s UTS series linear stages incorporate many of the advantages of the popular UTM series providing superior motion performance in an enhanced, shorter, and lower profile package. They use the same optimized steel body, bearings and lead screw of the UTM stages, but feature a number of mechanical improvements and completely new motor configurations.
UTS linear stages are available in three configurations. The first version, utilizing a DC motor, features an ultra-high resolution 20,000 cts/rev rotary encoder with index pulse for precision homing and is the recommended choice for applications requiring accurate bi-directional positioning. For tightest position control, the rotary encoder is directly mounted on the lead screw. This eliminates the majority of drive train error sources that affect other stages with indirect position read-out. A high-torque DC motor provides the highest dynamic speed control and allows for linear speeds up to 40 mm/s. An 11:4 belt reduction between the motor and the lead screw increases the available output torque, reduces the servo sensitivity and ensures 0.3 µm incremental motion capability with all Newport motion controllers and drivers.
The stepper motor version is a cost-effective solution for less demanding applications. When used with our XPS, ESP300, or SMC100PP controllers with high micro-stepping capability, low-noise operation and very small incremental motions are guaranteed. The stepper motor versions do not use encoders, instead, position is attained by the number of commanded steps and micro-steps. For this purpose, the stepper motor is directly attached to the lead screw with a proprietary bellow coupling with high-torsion stiffness and no gear or belt drive in between. The high output torque of the stepper motor also minimizes the risk of lost steps and provides optimum motion sensitivity with good linearity between commanded micro-steps and the actual motion of the stage. For vacuum applications, a third version with a slightly bigger, stepper motor is available. This motor was qualified for vacuum use by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
All UTS series linear stages feature all-steel construction with preloaded linear ball bearing slides. Steel has an almost 3-times greater stiffness than Aluminum, and provides the UTS stages comparable stiffness to the popular ILS series, but in a much more compact and significantly lower profile package. In addition, because the bearings, the body, the carriage and the lead screw are all made of steel, the UTS has a completely homogenized design minimizing thermal stress or thermal bending effects. The result is more consistent performance than other Aluminum stage designs.
Smooth motion is provided by a diamond-corrected lead screw and a matched, precision lapped nut to ensure high position stability with high vertical load capacity. The nut includes anti-backlash preloading and a sophisticated decoupling system that prevents lead screw eccentricity errors from affecting stage movement.
For XY configurations of UTS stages, use the M-CAP-M41 captive screws. The same screws can also be used for bolting UTS stages directly to custom mounting surfaces (access via thru-holes at the carriage). For mounting UTS stages to optical tables, please use the base plate M-PBN12, see Base Plates.