Custom and engineered motion systems
Most "custom motion system" requests are a catalog system with one parameter outside the envelope — 1,880 mm of travel, a 25 kg Z, an incubator environment. ModuSystems builds those every month. The difference now is that the sizing happens online, in minutes, before the first call with an engineer.
What customers mean by custom
Looking at a year of requests through the engine, custom motion systems fall into five groups. Long travel — 1,500 to 3,600 mm on a belt, past the SBA90's 1,275 mm catalog maximum. Heavy vertical — 20 to 50 kg on Z, past the LSA60's 15 kg. Environment — 37 °C / 95% RH incubators, CO₂, wash-down, cleanroom, or vacuum. Topology — dual-drive gantries with a third bridge, H-bots, dual-carriage axes, rotary stages on the carriage. Integration — enclosures, vision, dispensing heads, or an existing controller that must stay. Each has a standard engineered answer; none of them is a new machine from a blank sheet.
How the engineered path works
Size it in the engine first. Enter the real payload, travel, speed, and orientation. The engine sizes the closest catalog configuration, prints the torque margin, inertia ratio, and cycle time, and tells you exactly which parameter is out of range and by how much — "1,880 mm requested, 1,275 mm catalog maximum, 605 mm gap." That output is the specification an engineer starts from. Route to an engineer. Out-of-range builds carry a direct contact rather than a generic form; the sizing, 3D assembly, and BOM go with the request. Engineered quote. Tandem rails, a NEMA 34 screw stage with brake, sealed actuators, or an extended-profile SBA come back as a drawing and a quote, typically within days. Lead times run 6 to 10 weeks depending on the content.
| Request | Catalog limit | Engineered answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1,500–2,500 mm belt travel | SBA90 1,275 mm | Tandem-rail SBA90 or extended profile, synchronized drive |
| 3,000 mm+, 100 kg+ stage | — | Rack-and-pinion or linear-motor stage on a 600 mm rail gauge |
| 25–50 kg vertical Z | LSA60 15 kg | NEMA 34 ball-screw axis with brake, or counterbalanced LSA |
| Incubator (37 °C, 95% RH, CO₂) | Not rated | Sealed SBA/LSA variant with coated hardware and external motor |
| Wash-down / dust | SBA90 IP65 | IP65 across all axes, stainless hardware |
| Two tools on one axis | DBA 60, 575 mm | Longer dual-carriage rail or dual independent Y bridges |
Why size online before calling
The engineered path is faster when the spec is already quantified. An engineer receiving "25 kg Z, 300 mm, 100 mm/s, needs 2× safety, 178% margin on a NEMA 34 at 10 mm lead, brake required" can quote; one receiving "we need a custom Z axis" has to ask ten questions first. The engine's assumptions panel is that quantified spec — every number used in the sizing, shown — and it goes to the engineer with the request. Customers who do this typically see a drawing in days rather than weeks.
What stays catalog
Everything the custom system does not change. A 1,880 mm X axis still carries a catalog SBA45 Y and LSA45 Z; a heavy engineered Z still rides catalog belt axes; a sealed incubator gantry still uses the BLC-4T controller and the same sequence editor program. Keeping the rest standard is what keeps engineered systems at a few weeks and a few thousand dollars over the catalog kit, rather than a capital project.
Size it yourself in about a minute
Type the task — payload, travel, speed — and the Engineering Decision Engine returns a validated, priced 3D system with the torque margins, inertia check, and cycle-time math shown. Free to design and quote.
Frequently asked
Does ModuSystems build custom motion systems?
Yes — long-travel stages, heavy Z axes, sealed and incubator-rated actuators, and multi-axis gantries are engineered from the LYNX catalog families. Size the motion in the engine first; out-of-range builds are routed to an engineer with the sizing attached.
How long does a custom system take?
Typically 6–10 weeks from order, versus 2–3 weeks for catalog kits. Quotes on engineered systems usually come back within days once the engine's sizing output is in hand.
What is the longest travel available?
1,275 mm as a single catalog belt actuator (SBAC90); 2,500 mm and beyond as engineered tandem-rail or rack-and-pinion stages.
Can you work with my existing controller?
Often yes. The actuators are pulse/direction stepper or servo axes; integration with a third-party controller is quoted as part of the engineered system.