Motion and Manipulation

VSM Instruments offers a whole range of Ultra-High Vacuum motion and manipulation products in order to provide sample motion in a vacuum environment. Please click the sub-categories below in order to browse our range.

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Motion and Manipulation

VSM Instruments offers a whole range of Ultra-High Vacuum motion and manipulation products in order to provide sample motion in a vacuum environment. Please click the sub-categories below in order to browse our range.

Key Features


  • Most products are UHV compatible and fully bakeable
  • Products are generally fitted with CF flanges
  • Many products are available with manual or motorised operation with 2 phase or 3 phase stepper motors
  • Products are manufactured in the EU

Fast-entry (load lock) doors provide easy, tool-free access to the inside of a vacuum chamber. They are CF flanged, but include an integral Viton®-sealed hinged door. The door can be optionally with or without viewport. They are typically used in load lock chambers, or in other chambers where UHV pressures are not required due to the lack of a copper seal.

Please note that all our doors are designed to be bolted to the flange using metric cap-head bolts, since they have countersunk holes designed for round bolt heads.

When selecting a door size, please bear in mind that the inner diameter needs to be larger than the sample to provide clearance. It is often more convenient to operate with a larger size so that it is possible to fit your hand inside the chamber for sample loading, although some chambers have special sample loading tools which are narrower than a human hand.

Linear feedthroughs are vacuum-compatible fittings which allows a part attached to them to be moved precisely along a particular axis. Usually an edge-welded bellows is employed in order to maintain the vacuum envelope while still enabling the motion.

Please also see our separate categories for Transfer Rods and Wobble sticks which are also able to provide a faster but less rigid and precise motion for sample transfer applications.

Designed for compatibility with VAb XYZ manipulators, these flow cryostats can be used to provide sample cooling using either liquid helium or liquid nitrogen. Options exist for both DN40CF and DN63CF flange sizes and are primarily meant to work together with the VBPM12 and VBPM25 series manipulators with a DDF series rotation stage integrated as part of the package. A range of compatible sample stages are also available. There are options with integrated counterheating, integrated linear travel or integrated secondary rotation axis intended to provide a 5 axis solution (XYZ with 2 rotation axes)

Port aligners are a very useful components which are used to provide a very fine angular adjustment combined with a small axial positional  adjustment for components within a vacuum system. They are most frequently used as a set-and-forget adjuster, for example to provide correct alignment of a transfer rod so that a sample holder hits its target perfectly. They comprise two flanges separated by a short bellows and a tripod arrangement of adjustable “legs” which can be individually extended or retracted using spanners. With correct adjustment of the three legs, the angle of the two flanges with respect to each other can be altered in any direction by a couple of degrees. While port aligners are available in many sizes, they are most commonly sold as DN40CF size.

Our tilt stages are designed for applications where frequent and precise tilt adjustment is needed. For set and forget tilt adjustment, please see our separate section on port aligners.

Rotary feedthroughs, as the name suggests, provide a vacuum compatible method for transferring rotary motion from the air side to the vacuum side of a vacuum chamber. They can be supplied hollow for mounting other equipment or with an integral shaft. The rotary motion can be mechanically or magnetically coupled. Mechanically coupled solutions offer greater torque, while magnetically coupled feedthroughs have less points of failure, making them more durable when used in appropriate applications. They may also be more appropriate where high speed continuous rotation is needed.

Magnetically-coupled transfer rods are typically used for transferring a sample holder between two vacuum chambers such as from a load lock to a main chamber, or for long distance motion within a chamber. They have an external magnet on the outside which couples to a second magnet on the vacuum side and can be used to produce both a linear and a rotary motion. There is a possibility to fit a stop ring to limit the linear movement to temporarily or permanently stop the travel from overshooting a certain point. For shorter linear travels where a greater movement precision is needed, it may be more appropriate to consider a bellows-based linear drive solution which is also part of our product range.

In some applications a second, concentric rotary axis is desirable in order to actuate some aspect of the sample grabber for example.

Our transfer rods are supplied without a transfer tool, but please ask for advice about appropriate transfer tools and sample holder compatibility. We also offer a range of port aligners which are often sold together with transfer rods to facilitate correct alignment of the sample with the target manipulator.

Viewport shutters are used to protect the viewport glass from the inside. This is usually because the process within the chamber involves deposition of material which would otherwise slowly reduce the transparency of the glass and make it difficult to observe the inside of the chamber. On occasion it might also be desirable to protect the user from light inside the chamber, however other solutions such as leaded glass covers exist in order to protect against X-Rays for example.

When choosing your shutter, please take account that the non-venetian type needs more space to open towards the interior of the chamber. For this reason the venetian type may be preferable in certain applications. The venetian type is however not available in smaller sizes due to the space required for the mechanism.

Wobble sticks are designed for situations where small samples need to be transferred a short distance and where both angular,, linear and rotational motion is needed. They are usually fitted with a tool designed for handling flag-style sample holders, either by a pincer or rotation  mechanism. A parking station is usually included to prevent the wobble stick being sucked inwards into the chamber by the vacuum force when not in use.

Designed for applications where a single axis translation is required between two flanges

Our range of XY tables are designed for situations where XY lateral motion is needed without any Z motion. Our stages are available with flange sizes from DN40CF-DN250CF and with bellows inner diameters from 39-162.5 mm. Travel range can either be +/-12.5,  +/-25 or +/-40mm. In most cases the stages can be purchased in manual or motorised versions. They can also be coupled with other components such as rotation or linear stages as required for the application.

Dual bellows manipulators have separate bellows to enable the XY and Z motions. This means they are better suited to larger base flanges above DN100CF, and particularly well suited to applications where a long Z travel is needed, although short travel versions are also possible. As a consequence of the XY bellows being larger than the one for Z, the insert size is limited by the Z bellows diameter and the inner diameter of the corresponding support bearing. The narrower Z bellows also means that the internal surface area is significantly lower than an equivalent single bellows solution. The XY stage in a dual bellows manipulator is always at the base flange side which also gives improved rigidity and stability.

VSM Instruments offers both single bellows and dual bellows XYZ manipulators. The single bellows solution offers greater simplicity where there is a single point of flexibility in the vacuum envelope to facilitate movement in all three axes. Our single bellows solutions offer a very wide range of flange sizes from DN40CF all the way to our MEGA manipulators with a 150mm bellows internal diameter to support very large sample stages.

Motion and Manipulation

VSM Instruments offers a whole range of Ultra-High Vacuum motion and manipulation products in order to provide sample motion in a vacuum environment. Please click the sub-categories below in order to browse our range.

Key Features


  • Most products are UHV compatible and fully bakeable
  • Products are generally fitted with CF flanges
  • Many products are available with manual or motorised operation with 2 phase or 3 phase stepper motors
  • Products are manufactured in the EU

High quality UHV magnetically-coupled transfer rod with rotation and linear motion. Standard travels from 100-1000mm in 100mm increments.

The PM12 series XYZ manipulators are available as standard with a DN100CF base flange and a DN63CF moving flange. They offer +/-12.5mm travel in XY and up to 1 metre in Z. The smaller Z bellows has an internal diameter of 39mm and a support bearing for a 38mm diameter insert (other diameters on request). The manipulator has a maximum 30kg load on the z axis. A range of made-to-fit cryostats, sample stages and rotation stages are also available.

These VB(U)HS sample stages are designed to fit to our VBHVK Series cryostats, as well as directly to an XYZ manipulator or rotation stage when cooling is not required. Versions with cooling are constructed from gold-coated copper which facilitates excellent sample cooling due to a good thermal connection to the cryostat, and can be optionally configured for different sample entry directions. Cooling connection is either via direct contact to the cryostat or via VCR connectors and stainless steel tubing in the case of liquid nitrogen-only cooling. They can be equipped for 3 different types of sample heating – alumina heater, e-beam heating and direct current heating. The e-beam versions offer a higher maximum temperature than alumina but require a special sample holder with a hole for best performance.

The HVK series cryostats are primarily optimised for integration with our VBPM series dual bellows manipulators with a DDF63P rotation stage on top. For this reason they are supplied on a DN63CF flange. There are also two more compact options in the range for a smaller DN40CF flange, which due to their flange size offer less space for electrical feedthroughs. Finally two options include an additional motion axis within the cryostat which is usually used to actuate a secondary rotation within the sample stage.

These vacuum-insulated siphons are designed to tranfer liquid helium or nitrogen from the dewar to the VB-HVK series cryostats. They are available in U shape for vertically-mounted cryostats or L shape for horizontally-mounted.

Our VBMDWS series wobble sticks are designed to provide linear, tilt and rotation axes for applications where a pincer is not required. Typically they are fitted with a SPECS-style transfer tool for flag style sample holders with a 90º release/engage mechanism which can be provided optionally as part of the package. These wobble sticks include a parking station and stop ring.

Our VBMDWS2 series wobble sticks are designed to provide linear, tilt and dual rotation axes. These wobble sticks include a parking station but no transfer tool.

Our VBMDJS40 series transfer rods have a design similar to a wobble stick but have a set-and-forget integral port aligner for angular alignment. They are designed for longer travel applications where a pincer actuator is preferred, but which would be too long for a wobble stick to be a sensible solution.  They provide a linear and rotation axis and actuation for the pincer.

Our VBMDWSZ series wobble sticks are designed to provide linear, tilt and one rotation axis. There is an additional short travel inner linear axis designed to actuate an optional pincer tool to grab flag-style samples. These wobble sticks include a parking station and stop ring.

The VBPM series XY stages provide a wide range of options for flange size, bellows diameter and motorised or manual operation. Please see the product table for full details.

The PM25 series XYZ manipulators are available as standard with a DN160CF base flange and a DN63CF moving flange. They offer +/-25mm travel in XY and up to 1 metre in Z. The smaller Z bellows has an internal diameter of 39mm and a support bearing for a 38mm diameter insert (other sizes on request). The manipulator has a maximum 30kg load on the z axis. A range of made-to-fit cryostats, sample stages and rotation stages are also available.

This horizontal support is specifically designed to provide support between longer versions of the PM12 and PM25 manipulators when mounted horizontally. It is spring-loaded to compensate for the movement in the vertical axis while still providing support and can also compensate for the lateral movement in the short horizontal axis. It is designed to be mounted on a customer-supplied support frame or system table.

The PMAX25 series XYZ manipulators are available as standard with a DN100CF base flange and a DN63CF moving flange. They offer +/-25mm travel in XY and up to 600mm in Z. The smaller Z bellows has an internal diameter of 66mm and comes as standard without a support bearing. The larger inner and outer diameter compared to the PM series mean that larger inserts are possible The manipulator has a maximum 30kg load on the z axis.

The PMEGA25 series XYZ manipulators are available as standard with a DN160CF base flange and a DN100CF moving flange. They offer +/-25mm travel in XY and up to 600mm in Z. The smaller Z bellows has an internal diameter of 102mm and comes as standard without a support bearing, so it is suitable for very large inserts. The manipulator has a maximum 40kg load on the z axis.

The VBPMAKRO25 series XYZ manipulators are available as standard with a DN200CF base flange and a DN160CF moving flange. They offer +/-25mm travel in XY and up to 600mm in Z. The smaller Z bellows has an internal diameter of 150mm and comes as standard without a support bearing, so it is suitable for very large inserts. The manipulator has a maximum 40kg load on the z axis and is only available fully motorised.

Our VBSTWS series wobble sticks are designed to provide linear and tilt motion only. No rotation is possible due to the fixed mechanical coupling with the  external actuator. These wobble sticks have a significant price advantage in applications where no rotation is needed, and the lack of a magnet may also be important in some situations. A longer internal bellows is necessary for the linear and tilt motion, compared to the MDWS series where only a short bellows is required to facilitate the tilt motion. The larger surface area of this bellows may lead to greater outgassing during motion, and it’s minimum in-vacuum length is necessarily longer than the magnetically coupled equivalent travel.

Our VBSWS series wobble sticks are a more compact alternative to the STWS series and are designed to provide linear and tilt motion only. No rotation is possible due to the fixed mechanical coupling with the  external actuator. These wobble sticks have a significant price advantage in applications where no rotation and a short travel is needed, and the lack of a magnet may also be important in some situations.

Our VBTXY XY tilt stages are designed to provide continuous, calibrated adjustment of up to +/-5° of tilt between two flanges separated by a bellows. The stages are available in flange sizes from DN40CF to DN160CF. The stages are used in applications where a frequent tilt adjustment is needed and are provided with a graduated scale in each tilt axis. If a set-and-forget tilt adjustment is preferred, please see our range of port aligners.

The KPM12 series is a simple, compact, budget-friendly single bellows XYZ manipulator available as standard with a DN40CF flange size at both ends (DN50CF or DN63CF base flange by request). With a 39mm inner diameter of the bellows, to obtain the full +/-12.5mm XY travel, the sample stage support rod and any associated wiring must be 14mm diameter or less. The manipulator can be supplied with all axes manually-operated, motorised Z axis or with all 3 axes motorised. Z travels are available from 50-600mm. The manipulator has a maximum 10kg load on the z axis.

The PMK12 series is single bellows XYZ manipulator available as standard with a DN63CF base flange (DN100CF by request), and a DN40CF moving flange (DN63CF by request). With a 65mm inner diameter of the bellows, to obtain the full +/-12.5mm XY travel, the sample stage support rod and any associated wiring must be 40mm diameter or less. The manipulator can be supplied with all axes manually-operated, motorised Z axis or with all 3 axes motorised. Z travels are available from 50-600mm. The manipulator has a maximum 20kg load on the z axis.

This long shaft version of the PD40 series rotary feethrough is designed to be compatible with our VBPMK series manipulators in order to add a 4th (rotation) axis. They can be manually or stepper-motor driven and are mounted on a DN40CF flange

The PHM series feedthrough assemblies are designed to provide the motion axes to enable 4 or 5 axis motion on our VBPMK12, VBPM12 and VBPM25 series in applications where no cooling or liquid nitrogen cooling is required. If Helium cooling is required, please see our VBHVK series cryostats instead. They also include suitable feedthroughs to provide electrical connections to the sample stage, as well as optional liquid nitrogen cooling pipes and feedthroughs.

The PMM12 series is single bellows XYZ manipulator available as standard with a DN63CF base flange (DN100CF or DN160CF by request), and a DN63CF moving flange (DN40CF by request). With a 70.5mm inner diameter of the bellows, to obtain the full +/-12.5mm XY travel, the sample stage support rod and any associated wiring must be 45.5mm diameter or less. The manipulator can be supplied with all axes manually-operated, motorised Z axis or with all 3 axes motorised. Z travels are available from 50-600mm. The manipulator has a maximum 20kg load on the z axis.

The PM112 series is single bellows XYZ manipulator available as standard with a DN100CF base flange (DN160CF by request), and a DN100CF moving flange (DN63CF by request). With a 102mm inner diameter of the bellows, to obtain the full +/-12.5mm XY travel, the sample stage support rod and any associated wiring must be 77mm diameter or less. The manipulator can be supplied with all axes manually-operated, motorised Z axis or with all 3 axes motorised. Z travels are available from 25-500mm. The manipulator has a maximum 40kg load on the z axis.

The PM125 series is single bellows XYZ manipulator available as standard with a DN100CF base flange (DN160CF by request), and a DN100CF moving flange (DN63CF by request). With a 102mm inner diameter of the bellows, to obtain the full +/-25mm XY travel, the sample stage support rod and any associated wiring must be 52mm diameter or less. The manipulator can be supplied with all axes manually-operated, motorised Z axis or with all 3 axes motorised. Z travels are available from 25-500mm. The manipulator has a maximum 40kg load on the z axis.

The MAX25 series is a large single bellows XYZ manipulator available as standard with a DN100CF base flange (DN160CF or DN200CF by request), and a DN100CF moving flange (DN63CF by request). Unlike the PM125, the XY table is at the bottom rather than the top for maximum rigidity and a more compact minimum flange to flange distance for the respective travels. With a 102mm inner diameter of the bellows, to obtain the full +/-25mm XY travel, the sample stage support rod and any associated wiring must be 52mm diameter or less. The manipulator can be supplied with all axes manually-operated, motorised Z axis or with all 3 axes motorised. Z travels are available from 50-700mm. The manipulator has a maximum 40kg load on the z axis.

The MEGA25 series is our largest single bellows XYZ manipulator. It comes as standard with a DN160CF base flange (DN200CF by request), and a DN160CF moving flange (DN100CF or DN63CF by request). The XY table is at the bottom rather than the top for maximum rigidity a compact minimum flange to flange distance. With a 150mm inner diameter of the bellows, to obtain the full +/-25mm XY travel, the sample stage support rod and any associated wiring must be 100mm diameter or less. The manipulator can be supplied with all axes manually-operated, motorised Z axis or with all 3 axes motorised. Z travels are available from 50-700mm. The manipulator has a maximum 30kg load on the z axis.

High quality UHV magnetically-coupled dual axis transfer rod with linear motion and two independent rotation axes. Standard travels from 300-1000mm in 100mm increments.

High quality heavy duty UHV magnetically-coupled single axis transfer rod with standard travels from 300-1000mm in 100mm increments. Unlike our DN40CF transfer rods this transfer rod is designed to be equipped with a special end-effector for lifting up the sample holder where this is needed for sample transfer. This means that the rotation axis rotates only a central 6mm rod, while the outer rod on the vacuum side is a square one with 15mm sides.

High quality UHV magnetically-coupled single axis transfer rod with linear and rotary motion on a DN16CF flange. Linear travels available from 50-300mm in 50mm increments. A high torque version is also available (see VBMDS16-HT)

High quality UHV magnetically-coupled single axis transfer rod with linear and rotary motion on a DN40CF flange. Linear travels available from 50-300mm in 50mm increments. A high torque version is also available (see VBMDS40/16-HT)

DN40CF port aligner available in three length options

DN63CF port aligner available in three length options

SPECS Transfer tool for SPECS-style flag sample holders

SPECS Transfer tool for SPECS-style flag sample holders

SPECS Transfer tool for SPECS-style flag sample holders

Our VBDD series feedthroughs are equipped with shaft which passes all the way through the assembly and is sealed by elastomer O-rings. They are available on KF and ISO flanges.  They are capable of full continuous 360º rotation and can be optionally manually-operated or driven by 2 phase stepper motor.

Our VBDDF series feedthroughs are equipped with a rotating O-ring seal with two differential pumping stages, such that they are still suitable for UHV conditions while being capable of full 360º rotation. They can be operated manually or optionally by 2 phase stepper motor.

DN100CF port aligner available in three length options

DN160CF port aligner available in three length options

A robust handwheel-driven open-ended linear feedthrough available in a variety of flange sizes from DN16CF to DN160CF. The handwheel allows for greater ease of use compared to the LDK series, especially where the required motion is on a frequent basis. The sturdy frame also allows for greater stability. In many variations the flange bolt holes are not threaded at either end (unlike the LDK series) which allows for a greater range of mounting locations. On most models the handwheel can optionally be mounted in a variety of locations for ease of access.

The LD series is also available in a motorised version or with a pneumatic actuator (please see separate product pages). They can be paired with the DDF series differentially-pumped rotary feedthroughs or supplied with an integral port aligner to tilt the top flange or X-table to translate the top flange.

A robust stepper motor driven open-ended linear feedthrough available in a variety of flange sizes from DN16CF to DN200CF. The motor is ideal for more automated setups, especially where the required motion is on a frequent basis. The sturdy frame allows for good stability. In many variations the flange bolt holes are not threaded at either end which allows for a greater range of mounting locations.

The LD series is also available in a manual handwheel or pneumatic version (please see separate product page). They can be paired with the DDF series differentially-pumped rotary feedthroughs or supplied with an integral port aligner to tilt the top flange or X-table to translate the top flange.

A robust pneumatic, open-ended linear feedthrough available in two flange sizes DN40CF and DN63CF. Compared to the stepper motor driven version of this product, it is designed for moving between discrete positions only, rather than for continuous motion. The pneumatic actuator can be specified as a 2 or 3 position version.

The LD series is also available in a manual handwheel or stepper motor version (see separate product pages).

Available in three flange sizes from DN16 CF to DN63CF and travels from 50-150mm (25mm for DN16CF), this simple, low cost hand-operated mechanism provides linear motion by operation of a knurled knob.

A robust bellows-based linear feedthrough with a 15kg/50kg lateral / axial maximum load and a 25mm diameter shaft which can be driven by handwheel or by stepper motor. The feedthrough is only available with a DN40CF flange, and travels from 50-400mm.

Our VBMD series feedthroughs are equipped with a magnetically-coupled shaft and are available in two flange sizes . They are capable of full 360º rotation and can be operated manually or optionally by 2 phase stepper motor or pneumatic drive. Compared to mechanical bellows rotary drive, magnetic drives can be more durable in high RPM motorised applications. Manual versions offer a lower cost solution where limited torque is required and backlash is unimportant.

A compact bellows-based manual linear feedthrough with an 8mm diameter shaft available on DN16CF and DN40CF flanges and travels from 25-125mm.

A robust bellows-based linear feedthrough which can be driven by handwheel or by stepper motor. The feedthrough has an 8mm diameter shaft and is available with DN16CF and DN40CF flanges and with travels from 25-150mm.

A robust linear feedthrough with a vacuum-side bellows which can be driven by handwheel or by stepper motor. The vacuum side of the feedthrough has a large 33mm diameter platform with 4 M5 screw holes. The feedthrough is only available with a DN40CF flange. A vacuum side bellows may have advantages for internally-baked systems but also the large internal platform can be advantageous in certain applications compared to a rod.

Our VBMR series feedthroughs are equipped with a magnetically-driven sub-flange and are available in two sizes . They are capable of full continuous 360º rotation driven by 2 phase stepper motor. Unlike our DDF series, because they are magnetically-driven, no differentially-pumped seal is required, leading to enhanced durability and vacuum performance, especially when fast rotation is needed. They include a rotary table with tapped holes on the vacuum side.

Our VBPD series feedthroughs are equipped with a bellows-sealed, mechanically-coupled shaft in a variety of flange sizes and vacuum side length options. They are capable of full 360º rotation and can be operated manually or optionally by 2 phase stepper motor.

A compact bellows-based manual push-pull linear feedthrough with an 8mm diameter shaft available on DN16CF and DN40CF flanges and travels from 25-150mm. Ideal for applications where fast, manual in and out movement is needed. A lock screw is provided to prevent the feedthrough moving inwards under the vacuum force once the desired position is reached.

Simple shutter with a manually operated single flap opening in a wide range of sizes

Viewport shutter with a manually operated venetian blind-style opening in two sizes

Fast entry doors in a range of sizes from DN40CF-DN300CF

A compact bellows-based pneumatic linear feedthrough with an 8mm diameter shaft available on DN16CF and DN40CF flanges and travels from 25-150mm. Pneumatic drive can be specified as 2 and 3 position versions.