Products Home / Optomechanical Components / Optomechanical Mounts / Optical Mirror Mounts / Kinematic Mounts for Round Optics / Kinematic Mirror Mounts with Vertical DrivesKinematic Mirror Mounts with Vertical Drives
- Two-Adjuster Mounts with Vertical Drives that Keep Beam Path Clear
- Options for Ø1/2" or Ø1" Mirrors
- Ideal for Use with High-Power Lasers
VM1
For Ø1" Mirrors
VM05
For Ø1/2" Mirrors
Back
Front
Front Plate Mounts Optic
with ±3° of Tip/Tilt
POLARIS-K1VS2
For Ø1" Mirrors
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Features
- Kinematic Mirror Mounts with Two Vertical-Drive Adjusters
- For Ø1/2" or Ø1" Mirrors
- Compact Design and Vertical Drives are Ideal for Tight Lab Set-Ups
- Polaris® Mirror Mount with Vertical-Drive Adjusters is Designed for Exceptional Thermal and Long-Term Stability
Kinematic Mirror Mounts with Vertical Drives
Thorlabs offers kinematic mirror mounts with vertical drives for either Ø1/2" or Ø1" optics. The adjusters for these mounts are located above the optical path, allowing for safe adjustment of the system without needing to place your hands near the incoming beam. The position of the actuators also makes these mounts ideal for compact setups. The VM05(/M) and VM1(/M) mounts feature an angular adjustment range of ±3°, and are fabricated from black anodized aluminum. The thick main body design increases rigidity to prevent flexing during adjustment.
Polaris Kinematic Mirror Mount with Two Vertical-Drive Adjusters
The POLARIS-K1VS2 mirror mount features a patented optic bore design with a monolithic flexure arm. This design provides high holding force and pointing stability with minimal optic distortion. Polaris optic bores are precision machined to achieve a fit that will provide optimum beam pointing stability over changing environmental conditions such as temperature changes, transportation shock, and vibration. Machined from heat-treated stainless steel, Polaris mounts utilize precision-matched adjusters with ball contacts and sapphire seats to provide smooth kinematic adjustment. Please see the full web presentation for details.
| Posted Comments: | |
melanie
(posted 2018-11-14 11:32:54.99) Are the adjustments lockable ?
There is a screw in the middle of the end of the micrometer head, which might be for locking the adjustment.
Is that what this screw is for ?
It looks like the exact same micrometer used with the gimbal mounts, which IS advertised as lockable. YLohia
(posted 2018-11-14 11:10:33.0) Hello, thank you for contacting Thorlabs. Unfortunately, these mounts are not lockable. The GMB1 gimbal mount is lockable with the side located locking thumbscrews. The actual adjuster knob is not intrinsically lockable. The GM100, which is the gimbal equivalent of the VM1, is not lockable and is not advertised as such. The hex on the top of the adjustment knob is often mistaken for a locking mechanism, but it is there for convenience so a ball driver can be used for adjustment. ivangr
(posted 2018-08-02 16:17:46.013) Hello,
I am contacting you concerning the VM1/M mount.
I was wondering whether it would be possible to have additional graduations on the actuators (similarly to standard micrometer screws) to keep track of how many rotations of the actuators have been done, in order to have a better 'absolute calibration' of the angle.
My application is the following: I need to align a nonlinear crystal to a reference position, and then detune it by a certain angle. The VM1 gives me a very good angular accuracy, however as soon as I need to detune by more than one rotation of the actuator, I need to pay extra attention and keep track of how many rotations I did in order to know the detuning angle. This easily gets unpractical, especially since I need to detune over a wide range of angles.
Best regards,
Ivan llamb
(posted 2018-08-03 08:57:18.0) Hello Ivan, thank you for contacting Thorlabs. We use the component with the engraved witness line in various other products as well, so a large scale modification would not be feasible because of the different graduated scales for each product that uses this component. We may be able to offer a one-off quote for a customized product, where the witness line has perpendicular engravings to keep track of your rotations. I will reach out to you directly to discuss further. arne.meyeraufderheide
(posted 2017-09-26 15:15:11.237) Hello Thorlabs,
do these top-driven mirror mounts also exist for 2" optics? Due to a lack of space we want to minimize the footprint of our 2" mounts, the usual 2" mirror mounts have the knobs behind the mirror which sometimes collide with other optomechanic in our setup.
Best regards nbayconich
(posted 2017-10-12 12:23:59.0) Thank you for contacting Thorlabs. We can offer this as a special made item. I will reach out to directly about our custom capabilities. werner.engel
(posted 2017-02-16 20:04:40.277) What I did not find at any optics shop is a device as slimm as the VM1, but also capable of the other 2 axis - like the K5X1.
The reason for this: Sometimes you need to build a very short cavity - in this case the screws behind the partly reflective mirror are much too long!! The length of the whole device should be as short as possible.
Has this been discussed allready?
Any plan to develop such a mount?
This would make optical cavities much shorter!
Waiting for your feedback,
Werner tfrisch
(posted 2017-02-20 09:53:59.0) Hello, thank you for contacting Thorlabs. I have posted your need in our internal engineering forum, and I will reach out to you directly to discuss this application. thbu
(posted 2016-12-20 07:09:36.823) For my design a VM05/M would be very suitable. On the other hand I consider the Polaris K05 mount for the well tested and documented stability. Do you have similar stability measurements for the VM05/M? How much better is the Polaris series?
Best regards. tfrisch
(posted 2016-12-22 06:13:18.0) Hello, thank you for contacting Thorlabs. The Polaris line was designed with stability in mind whereas VM05/M was intended to be a compact stage with the actuator knobs accessible from the same side. I will reach out to you directly for more details about your application. user
(posted 2013-03-05 16:06:01.21) FYI: The step model of VM1 seems to be a little messed up. The plate for mounting the optic is offset to the left, unphysically. cdaly
(posted 2013-03-07 16:13:00.0) Response from Chris at Thorlabs: Thank you for your feedback. The front plate does appear to be offset, looks like it was mated to the edge of the cutout rather than being centered. I will try to get this updated. Thank you for pointing this out. jlow
(posted 2012-08-03 16:07:00.0) Response from Jeremy at Thorlabs to Fran: The VM05 and VM1 use setscrews to hold the optic in place instead of retaining rings. Therefore, there's not really a maximum optic thickness. The minimum optic thickness is about 0.14" (3.6 mm). franxm
(posted 2012-08-03 10:29:05.0) What is the maximum thickness optic the VM05 and VM1 can support?
Thanks,
Fran |
Zoom- Mounts Ø1/2" Optics
- Minimum Optic Thickness: 0.14" (3.6 mm)
- Total Angular Range of ±3°
- 0.5° per Revolution Adjustment
- 8-32 (M4) and 4-40 (M3) Mounting Holes
Thorlabs' VM05(/M) Compact Kinematic Mount with Vertical Drive features top-mounted, 0.25 mm pitch actuators designed to keep the beam path clear, which is ideal for use with high-power lasers. Sensitivity is achieved by two fine adjustment screws that offer a 1/2° of angular adjustment per revolution. Each knob can be rotated by hand or by using a 5/64" (2.0 mm) hex key or balldriver. The VM05(/M) mount offers a total angular range of ±3° and a Ø0.44" (11.2 mm) clear aperture. A nylon-tipped locking setscrew secures the Ø1/2" optic. The mount's thick main body increases rigidity to prevent flexing during adjustment.
Zoom- Mounts Ø1" Optics
- Minimum Optic Thickness: 0.11" (2.8 mm)
- Total Angular Range of ±3°
- 0.25° per Revolution Adjustment
- Graduated Knobs with 50 Divisions per Revolution
- 8-32 (M4) Mounting Holes
Thorlabs' VM1(/M) Compact Kinematic Mount with Vertical Drive features top-mounted 100 TPI actuators designed to keep the beam path clear, which is ideal for use with high-power lasers. Sensitivity is achieved by two fine adjustment screws that offer a 1/4° of angular adjustment per revolution. Unlike the VM05(/M), the screws at the end of the knob cannot be used to rotate the knobs. The VM1(/M) mount offers a total angular range of ±3° and a Ø0.94" (23.9.2 mm) clear aperture. A nylon-tipped locking setscrew secures the Ø1" optic. The mount's thick main body increases rigidity to prevent flexing during adjustment.
Zoom
Click to Enlarge
Using the POLARIS-K1VS2 Ø1" Mount:
A: POLARIS-T2 Tool for Adjusting POLARIS-LNS1 Collars
B: 5/64" or 2.0 mm Hex Key in the End of an Adjuster
C: POLARIS-N5 Removable Knobs on the Adjusters*
D: HKTS-5/64 Hex Knobs on the Adjusters
Click to Enlarge
Mount Shown with Optional POLARIS-N5 Removable Knobs* (Not Included)
- Designed for use with Ø1" Optics
- ±4° Mechanical Angular Range
- ~7.7 mrad/rev Resolution
- 100 TPI Matched Actuator/Body Pairs
- Less than 1 µrad Deviation after Temperature Cycling
(See the Full Web Presentation for Details) - Patented Monolithic Flexure Arm Design for Minimal Optic Distortion and Improved Optic Holding Stability (US Patent 10,101,559, See the Full Web Presentation for Details)
This 2-Adjuster Ø1" Polaris Kinematic Mirror Mount provides long-term stability and high-resolution adjustment using vertical drives. This design allows for adjustment in situations where there may not be space behind the mount for horizontal access to the adjusters. To secure an optic, the mount uses a monolithic flexure arm that can be actuated using the included screw and a 0.05" (1.3 mm) hex key. The monolithic flexure arm design keeps wavefront distortion on the mounted optic to a minimum while providing strong optic retention force (see the full web presentation for details).
The 2-adjuster design improves mount stability by limiting the available degrees of freedom for movement. The monolithic front plate and stiff springs used in the construction of the POLARIS-K1VS2 mount provide enhanced stability and reduced optic distortion, making this mount an ideal solution for OEM applications that require reliable operation in rugged environments.
The 100 TPI adjusters feature a 5/64" (2.0 mm) hex and may be adjusted with our HKTS-5/64 Hex Key Thumbscrews, the hex on the end of the SA1 Adjustment Tool, or any other 5/64" (2.0 mm) hex wrench. Alternatively, POLARIS-N5 removable, low-profile adjustment knobs can be threaded onto the adjusters for improved feel in fine-resolution adjustments, although mechanical angular range may be reduced.
The adjusters on this mount can be locked using the POLARIS-LNS1 locking collars. Two are pre-installed on the POLARIS-K1VS2, one for each adjuster. The included locking collars can be loosened or tightened most easily using the POLARIS-T2 spanner wrench.
Post mounting is provided by two #8 (M4) counterbores. For custom mounting configurations, two Ø2 mm alignment pin holes are located on each mounting face for setting a precise location and mounting angle. Standard DIN 7-m6 ground dowel pins are recommended (click on the red documents icon below for details). We recommend using this mount with a stainless steel post that also has Ø2 mm alignment pin holes, such as our Ø1" Posts for Polaris Mirror Mounts.
*POLARIS-N5 Removable Knobs thread directly onto the exposed adjuster screws. Using them on the POLARIS-K1VS2 may result in a reduced mechanical angular range.
Vertical Drive