Orifice-throttled air float plate
Glass levitation is achieved via a positive-pressure air float system that supplies compressed air to the air float plate. The lift height can be controlled by adjusting the supply air pressure. Due to variations in glass thickness, slight vibration may occur during levitation. To mitigate this, we have added a negative-pressure structure around the outlet holes of the positive-pressure air float plate. This negative-pressure suction suppresses vibration and effectively controls positioning accuracy during levitation. We offer two tailored solutions based on glass thickness: 0.5mm and thicker glass: Standard positive-pressure air float plates can be used directly for conveying. These provide minimal deformation under positive-pressure levitation, meeting standard conveying requirements. For precision inspection stations, an integrated positive/negative-pressure air float plate is recommended. 0.5mm and thinner ultra-thin glass: Ultra-thin glass has low weight; using only positive-pressure levitation can cause significant surface deformation and lead to vibration or distortion during conveying and inspection. In such cases, we recommend air float plates with negative-pressure functionality. The negative-pressure constraint minimizes deformation and suppresses levitation vibration.
Advantages and Features of the Small-Hole Air Float Plate
Frictionless Motion Control & Dynamic Pressure Regulation
The air floatation plate features micro-pores precisely machined via laser technology. Leveraging the Bernoulli effect, it creates a uniform and stable air film, establishing a controllable suspension gap of 0–500 μm between the plate surface and the glass workpiece (suspension height is adjustable via supply air pressure). With a maximum conveying speed of 2 m/s and suspension jitter controlled within ±1.5 μm, this system enables high-speed, high-precision glass transport and inspection operations.
The device features a built-in intelligent pressure feedback module that continuously captures suspension height signals to dynamically adjust positive pressure (0.1–0.4MPa) and negative pressure (0 to –8 kPa) in a closed loop, ensuring stable operation for glass of varying thicknesses.
The air film completely isolates the workpiece from the plate surface, achieving a friction coefficient as low as 10⁻⁶. Paired with high-speed, high-precision cameras, it enables micron-level precision inspection and is widely used in advanced equipment scenarios such as glass conveyance and optical inspection.