Newport's proprietary double-row linear ball bearing design with bearing ways that are directly machined into the structural frame of the stage result in very smooth travel, greater durability and longer life. Compared to other solutions that use commercial bearings, MFA linear stages have a higher load capacity and stiffness with low pitch and yaw errors.

For less demanding applications, a stepper motor can be a more economical solution than a DC motor. A stepper motor operates using the basic principle of magnetic attraction and repulsion, converting digital pulses into mechanical shaft rotation. To improve the resolution and smoothness of motion, the MFA-PPD features micro-stepping, a method of electronically dividing a full-step of motion into a high number of partial steps.

DC motors are best characterized by their high speeds, smooth motion, good efficiency and a high power/weight ratio. The MFA-CC DC motor features an integrated gear-box and a motor-mounted rotary encoder. The high-resolution 2,048 cts/rev rotary encoder provides position feedback. Combined with a low-friction mechanical design, the MFA-CC delivers ultra-smooth motion with 100-nm sensitivity. Faster motion with higher reliability and lower backlash make DC Motor-driven stages ideal for applications requiring small incremental motion with high dynamic speed and good repeatability. 

The  is the vacuum compatible version of the MFA DC motor stage. It can be used in a vacuum environment down to 10^-6 hPa.

For more versatility and mounting options, top and base plates may be ordered separately to enable vertical (Z-axis) mounting and mounting to an optical table. For vertical mounting, note that the vertical (Z-axis) stage should be attached to the the  first (via the MFA-BK's two counterbored M3 holes), then the combination can be mounted to the horizontal (X- or Y-axis) stage via the MFA-BK's four counterbored M2 holes.

Newport also offers a version of the DC motor linear stage with integrated CONEX controller, the . For out-of-the box control, the CONEX controller is preconfigured and delivered with the MFA-CC stage.