- Company - Physik Instrumente (PI) SE & Co. KG
Exploring Space with Precision Technology by Physik Instrumente (PI)
PI's Precision Technology Helps Push the Boundaries of What Is Possible.
The ELT, which is currently being constructed at an elevation of 3,046 meters in Chile’s Atacama Desert, is the most innovative telescope of its kind. Equipped with a segmented main reflector measuring 39 meters in diameter and a light-collecting area of nearly 1,000 square meters, the telescope is designed to evaluate electromagnetic radiation in the visible and near-infrared wavelength range, enabling the study of planets beyond our solar system. The telescope's 798 hexagonal mirror elements, each 1.40 meters in diameter and weighing 250 kilograms, must be aligned with extreme accuracy to eliminate imaging errors. Handling this high-precision task are PI’s hybrid actuators, specifically developed for the project. They position the heavy mirror segments, monitor their alignment, and correct deformations caused by gravity, temperature, and wind within the nanometer range.
Markus Spanner, CEO of PI, expressed his enthusiasm, “As a leading provider of high-precision positioning and motion control solutions, PI has been supporting research projects since the company was founded. The ELT project demonstrates yet again the impressive capabilities of our cutting-edge technologies. We are extremely pleased to be able to make such an important contribution to space exploration with this project.”
PI: Key Partner for Research Projects
PI’s hybrid drive, combining motor-spindle drives with piezo actuators, achieves position accuracy exceeding 2 nm, long travel ranges of up to 10 mm, and the ability to move loads between 463 N pull force and 1050 N push force. To align with different objects, velocities ranging from 2 nanometers per second up to 100 micrometers per second are necessary. This provides automatic compensation for inaccuracies caused by environmental factors such as gravity, thermal effects, or wind forces.
Lorenzo Pettazzi, ELT M1 PACT Contract Manager at ESO, is delighted, “The ELT project demands unique, specialized expertise across various scientific and technological fields, as well as experience, perseverance, and a team of dedicated individuals driven by the vision to create something larger than themselves. We would like to thank the PI Group for their expertise and their innovative custom-designed space-exploration solution.”
Since 2014, approximately 750 employees from 30 different countries have been planning and constructing the telescope. PI was involved in the project from June 2017 to June 2025. The project will continue to reach further technological milestones and drive scientific research until the ELT’s “first light” at the end of 2030.
Markus Spanner from PI concludes, “We had the opportunity to be part of a landmark multi-billion-euro research project. The entire PI Group is very proud of that. We would like to extend our gratitude to ESO for their excellent collaboration and to everyone involved for their valuable work and tireless dedication.”
Physik Instrumente (PI) in Brief
PI with headquarters in Karlsruhe, Germany, is the market and technology leader for high-precision positioning technology and piezo applications in the market segments of Industrial Automation, Photonics, Semiconductor, and Microscopy & Life Sciences. Working closely with customers around the world, PI’s more than 1,900 specialists have been continuously pushing the boundaries of what is technically feasible for more than fifty years. Various drive technologies, internally developed sensor technology, electronics, and control technology provide the basis for this. PI’s portfolio ranges from components to subsystems to tailor-made complete solutions. More than 560 granted and pending patents underline the company’s claim to leadership in the fields of precision positioning and piezo technology. PI operates on a global scale, with nine production sites in Europe, North America, and Asia, as well as sixteen sales and service subsidiaries.