Aerotech Automation1 GI4 Laser Scan Head Controller

Simple, Powerful Laser Scan Head Control

Now with XY3-100 support! Control two- or three-axis laser scan

heads with the Automation GI4 laser scan head controller. The

GI4 commands industrial scan heads using the XY2-100 protocol

or the higher resolution XY3-100 protocol, and it connects inline

with an Automation1 controller and drives over HyperWire⁠—

enabling powerful performance and simple synchronization with

other axes of motion.

The GI4 adds power to your system by unlocking features like

our infinite field of view (IFOV), marking on the fly (MOTF) and

position synchronized output (PSO) technology alongside the

Automation1 platform’s standard laser control functionality.

Automation1

The GI4 is a part of the user-friendly Automation1 motion control

platform, which includes the following:

• Development Software

• Controls

• Motor Drives

• Fiber-Optic HyperWire® Communication Bus

KEY FEATURES:

• LASER SCAN HEAD CONTROL for two- &three-axis XY2-100 and

XY3-100 scanners

• Increases system performance with INFINITE FIELD OF VIEW

(IFOV), enabling optimized machine throughput & eliminating

stitching errors while maintaining effective pixel resolution

• MINIMIZES SPOT DISTORTION by using the central region of

your focusing objective (enabled by IFOV)

• Offers MARKING ON THE FLY for line-follower and other dynamic

applications

• Manages laser spot placement with precision using PART-SPEED

PSO (POSITION SYNCHRONIZED OUTPUT)

• Features LASER CONTROL INTERFACE with YAG, CO2 & general 

purpose operating modes

The GI4 is an ideal device for machine builders. Not only does it

include multiple I/O points, it also connects to the Automation1-iSMC

motion control via the HyperWire motion bus side-by-side with other

Automation1 drive electronics. The iSMC’s default G-code support 

couples nicely with the GI4’s standard 3-axis XY2-100 or new higher

-resolution XY3-100 support to make all types of laser systems easy

to deploy. Even high-end 3D printing processes are implemented as

simply as traditional 2D processes such as laser etching, laser

engraving, laser cutting, laser welding and laser ablation.

The GI4 includes a data array with more than 67 MB of memory, which

enables bitmap and grayscale processes. Simply download laser on/off

control arrays or high-resolution grayscale values to the drive array, then

call upon these values, synchronized with motion, to control laser firing

and power. Use Part-Speed PSO to ensure accurate and consistent pulse

-to-pulse spacing while calling on the drive array’s memory to control

each laser firing event.

Do all of this while tracking the positions of your servo axes in combination

with your galvo scan head axes using IFOV. Simply route your servo axes

position feedback from the Automation1 servo drives to the GI4 and the

GI4 will combine the galvo and servo positions to accurately control your

process. Even if not a hard requirement, using IFOV can help improve

throughput and quality by optimizing laser on time and limiting the scan

head motion to the central region of the focusing objective.