Automating your microscopy or imaging setup brings many accuracy and productivity benefits. But to get the best results, it’s essential to choose the right motorized stage. The level of precision, repeatability, and integration you require depends largely on your application, from routine slide scanning through to advanced wafer inspection.
But how do you decide which motorized stage is the right fit for your application?
At Prior Scientific, our two core ranges of motorized stages – OptiScan and ProScan – cover a wide range of needs. In this blog, we’ll go through what motorized stages do, the key differences between them, and which one could be the right choice for your application.
What are motorized stages?
Motorized stages automate the positioning of microscope samples. They allow for much faster, more repeatable scanning across slides, dishes or even larger specimens. Controlled via software or joystick, they are vital in applications such as slide scanning and semiconductor inspection.
What are the differences between motorized stages?
While all motorized stages achieve similar outcomes, they also vary based on several factors. The list of differences can include travel range, load capacity, speed, and, importantly, their levels of accuracy and repeatability.
Some motorized stages, such as our OptiScan range, offer enough performance to improve many imaging tasks. They bring automation benefits in terms of speed and quality, though by their nature, they do not provide the very highest levels of repeatability. However, they get the job done for many applications at an affordable price point.
Meanwhile, high-end stages, such as our ProScan range, include more advanced technologies and capabilities. They achieve micron or even sub-micron precision and reliable repeatability over large distances. Applications that require the ability to return to the same spot with no room for error – such as high content screening – would benefit from this type of motorized stage. In contrast to OptiScan, ProScan stages are typically more specialized to specific applications.
Which applications need a motorized stage?
Simply put, the level of automation required varies between different applications. Motorized stages can be used in a wide variety of imaging tasks, including:
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Basic microscopy
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Education
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Slide scanning and fluorescence microscopy
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Industrial inspection (like semiconductor wafers)
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Life science research (such as live cell tracking, vesicle imaging)
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OEM and custom imaging systems
…and many others. This is where understanding your application and choosing between the types of stages matters most – achieving the all-important balance between cost-effectiveness, capabilities, and results. Let’s see which might suit you.
OptiScan motorized stages
OptiScan stages are a straightforward, budget-friendly solution for users who simply don’t need ultra-high-end functionality. They are ideal for a range of common applications like industrial inspection or basic histopathology. They’re also often used in educational settings, or by consultants or researchers working from home.
For example, the OptiScan ES111 motorized stage is a versatile motorized XY stage, compatible with Prior’s OpenStand platform and adaptable for OEM products. It’s well suited to a wide range of samples, including slides, Petri dishes and metallurgical specimens. Our clients have successfully used it for new drug delivery systems, for example.
The ES111 is more than enough for many imaging applications – without the additional cost of high-end features. This makes it an affordable, user-friendly entry point into microscope automation that’s sufficiently capable for most applications.
Affordability does not come at the cost of reliability – the ES111 is used in industrial settings where it may run thousands of cycles a year and retains the 5-year warranty offered as standard for Prior stages used with either a ProScan or OptiScan controller.
ProScan motorized stages
For more demanding imaging protocols, our ProScan range brings the most cutting-edge performance. This may be required in fields such as:
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Industrial inspection
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Semiconductor analysis
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High-precision life science imaging
With a choice of encoded and non-encoded stages, and features like Prior’s Intelligent Scanning Technology (IST), ProScan delivers higher levels of accuracy, repeatability, and control compared to the OptiScan range.
For example, the ProScan H112/2ST motorized XY stage is a great choice for more demanding workloads. Designed to scan large-format samples like 12-inch wafers, the H112 supports a travel range of 302 mm x 302 mm. It also boasts a load capacity of 25 kg. For these reasons, it’s commonly used in highly sensitive applications, such as wafer inspection and industrial metrology.
For customers in need of extra travel range or load capacity that an OptiScan stage cannot provide, non-encoded ProScan stages with the necessary attributes can also be used with an OptiScan controller to provide a more cost-effective but lower performance package. Although all ProScan stages are shipped with IST capability, it is only active when a ProScan III controller is used.
Encoded ProScan stages
For applications demanding even higher repeatability – such as revisiting exact positions in long-term life science experiments or drug delivery research – encoded ProScan stages offer the highest precision.
For advanced research environments, such as ultrafast microscopy, the encoded ProScan H117 stage delivers exceptional stability, accuracy and bidirectional repeatability compared to non-encoded models. For this reason, it was used in demanding conditions to deliver extremely high performance – even under heavy loads for long periods of time. This increased accuracy and consistency of positioning was crucial for studying nanoscale materials over extended timeframes.
For the highest possible precision, the ProScan HLD117 linear motor stage offers even smoother, faster motion than traditional stages like the H117. With low-friction linear drives, it is the most accurate and repeatable stage offered by Prior. It’s the ideal choice for achieving precise, controlled and constant velocity for continuous scanning and long-term time-lapse imaging requiring the highest levels of accuracy and repeatability.
Which motorized stage is right for you?
As we’ve seen, motorized stages vary based on factors such as travel range, accuracy, and repeatability. You don’t always have to choose the most powerful or expensive option. In many cases, motorized stages from our OptiScan range are extremely capable, although some applications do require higher-end functionality.
Ultimately, the right stage depends on your unique application, not just the specification sheet. As a general rule of thumb, you might choose:
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OptiScan if you're doing basic microscopy, basic histopathology teaching, remote imaging, or working with larger samples that don't need absolutely pinpoint accuracy
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ProScan for applications requiring high speed and repeatability, such as industrial inspection, advanced research or high throughput slide scanning.
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Encoded ProScan when long-range accuracy and bidirectional repeatability are essential, such as in multipoint time lapse or semiconductor inspection or repeated high-resolution imaging
For anything from getting started with automation to advanced high-precision workflows, you’ll find an excellent option in Prior Scientific’s OptiScan and ProScan ranges.
Are you unsure which motorized stage is best for your setup? Get in touch – our technical specialists are here to help.
