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Kinematic Mounts for 30 mm Cage Systems![]()
KC1-S SM1 (1.035"-40) Tap in Front Slip Plate KC1-T SM1 (1.035"-40) Application Idea KC1-S Retroreflector Cage (Components Sold Separately) ![]() Please Wait ![]() Click to Enlarge This 30 mm cage-compatible kinematic rotation mount consists of a CRM05 rotation mount threaded into a KC1-T cage-compatible kinematic mount.
Features
Thorlabs offers five 30 mm-cage-compatible kinematic mounts that are designed for easy integration into our cage assembly system. They are ideal for holding retroreflecting mirrors or collimated light sources, enabling precise angular alignment of a beam along the axis of a 30 mm cage system. In addition to mounts with manual adjusters, we also offer versions of our K1C and K1C-T with piezo-driven adjusters. Accurate center axis alignment with the 30 mm cage system is made easier using one of the cage system alignment plates offered at the bottom of this page. The Cage Assembly System provides a convenient way to construct large optomechanical systems with an established line of precision-machined building blocks designed for high flexibility and accurate alignment. Our mounts featured here have been designed to allow for the precise angular positioning of optics within a cage system. Thorlabs offers Cage System OverviewThe Cage Assembly System provides a convenient way to construct large optomechanical systems with an established line of precision-machined building blocks designed for high flexibility and accurate alignment. 16 mm, 30 mm, and 60 mm Cage System StandardsThorlabs offers three standards defined by the center-to-center spacing of the cage assembly rods (see image below). The 16 mm cage, 30 mm cage, and 60 mm cage standards are designed to accomodate Ø1/2", Ø1", and Ø2" optics, respectively. Specialized cage plates that allow smaller optics to be directly inserted into our larger cage systems are also available. Standard ThreadsThe flexibility of our Cage Assembly System stems from well-defined mounting and thread standards designed to directly interface with a wide range of specialized products. The three most prevalent thread standards are our SM05 Series (0.535"-40 thread), SM1 Series (1.035"-40 thread), and SM2 Series (2.035"-40 thread), all of which were defined to house the industry's most common optic sizes. Essential building blocks, such as our popular lens tubes, directly interface to these standards. ![]() An example of the standard cage plate measurements determining cage system compatibility.
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The KC1 Kinematic Mount is designed with a smooth, double-bored mounting hole that can accommodate a Ø1" optic that is at least 0.12” (3 mm) thick; the optic is held in place with a top-located, nylon-tipped locking screw. This kinematic mount comes with three 1/4-80 adjusters that offer an adjustment per revolution of 7 mrad/rev. In addition, each adjuster has independently locking setscrews. Both the front and rear plates have been machined with four clearance holes designed for direct compatibility with our 30 mm cage system standard. The cage rod holes in the front plate are sufficiently oversized to allow ±4º tip and tilt adjustment without cage rod interference. Once the desired position is achieved, locking setscrews on the rear plate can be used to secure the rods in place. In addition to 30 mm cage compatibility, the KC1 is post mountable via an 8-32 (M4) tapped hole. ![]()
The KC1-T Kinematic Mount is designed with an SM1-threaded (1.035"-40) mounting hole that can directly hold optics up to 5.8 mm (0.23”) thick using the two included SM1RR Retaining Rings. Thicker optics can be accommodated by housing the optic in one of our SM1-Series Lens Tubes and then threading the lens tube into the front plate of the mount. Alternatively, since the back plate of the KC1-T features an oversized Ø1.32" bore, SM1 lens tubes can also be attached to the front plate from the rear of the mount without sacrificing angular adjustment. This threaded, kinematic mount comes with three adjusters with independently locking setscrews. Both the front and rear plates have been machined with four clearance holes designed for direct compatibility with our 30 mm cage system standard. The cage rod holes in the front plate are sufficiently oversized to allow ±4º tip and tilt adjustment without cage rod interference. Once the desired position is achieved, locking setscrews on the rear plate can be used to secure the rods in place. In addition to 30 mm cage compatibility, the KC1-T is post mountable via an 8-32 (M4) tapped hole. ![]() ![]() KC1-P Optic Mount
These kinematic mirror mounts incorporate piezo-driven fine adjustment into our KC1 and KC1-T mirror mounts (available above). Each of the three adjustable axes consists of a manual and piezo adjuster in series. The smooth bore versions secure the mirror with a nylon-tipped 8-32 (M4) setscrew, while the SM1-threaded versions secure the mirror with two included SM1RR Retaining Rings. The KC1-PZ(/M) and KC1-T-PZ(/M) offer a piezo linear travel of ±4 µm and minimum step size of 0.3 µrad, while the KC1-P(/M) and KC1T-P(/M) offer a piezo linear travel of ±9.7 µm with minimum step size of 0.37 µrad per 0.1 V step. The piezo adjusters connect to a controller using the included 3' (91.4 cm) cables, and the maximum control voltage is 150 V. The KC1-PZ(/M) and KC1-T-PZ(/M) mounts include permanently attached BNC cables, while the KC1-P(/M) and KC1T-P(/M) include detachable cables. The KC1-PZ(/M) and KC1-T-PZ(/M) mounts are also sold bundled with the MDT693B Three-Channel Piezo Controller, providing all the components needed for open-loop control of the mount. These mounts are 30 mm cage system compatible; the cage rods can be locked into place using their locking screws. They are also post mountable using one of the three 8-32 (M4) mounting taps.
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The KC1-S Kinematic Mount is designed with a SM1 (1.035"-40) threaded mounting hole with a front slip plate that enables direct mounting of optics up to 5.8 mm (0.23”) thick using the included SM1RR Retaining Rings. Thicker optics can be accommodated by housing the optic in one of our SM1-Series Lens Tubes and then threading the lens tube into the front plate of the mount. Alternatively, since the back plate of the KC1-S features an oversized Ø1.32" bore, SM1 lens tubes can also be attached to the front plate from the rear of the mount without sacrificing angular adjustment. This threaded, kinematic mount comes with three adjusters with independently locking setscrews. Both the front and rear plates have been machined with four clearance holes designed for direct compatibility with our 30 mm cage system standard. The cage rod holes in the front plate are sufficiently oversized to allow ±4° tip and tilt adjustment without cage rod interference. Once the desired position is achieved, locking setscrews on the rear plate can be used to secure the rods in place. In addition to 30 mm cage compatibility, the KC1-S is post mountable via an 8-32 (M4) tapped hole. The KC1-S slip plate feature incorporated into this mount provides ±1 mm of coarse travel in X and Y with respect to the front plate, which enables additional freedom when setting an optic's position within a cage system. Three locking screws allow the user to lock the slip plate down once the desired location has been reached. The user should note, however, that loosening the locking screws may result in excessive coarse movement (slop) in the slip plate. For best performance, tighten the locking screws, and then release them only enough to allow for smooth operation of the slip plate. ![]() ![]() Back View of VRC4CPT
The CPA1 and CPA2 Alignment Plates are convenient tools for aligning cage-based optical systems. These drop-in plates feature a small through hole at the exact center of the 30 mm cage assembly that is used for aligning visible beams. For easy alignment, the through hole is surrounded by engraved rings, which indicate Ø4 mm, Ø7 mm, Ø10 mm, and Ø13 mm. The CPA1 provides a Ø0.9 mm through hole, while the CPA2 provides a Ø5 mm through hole. The VRC4CPT and VRC6SCPT Alignment Plates are specifically designed to align IR or MIR beams in a cage-based optical assembly. Both plates are identical to the CPA1 (shown to the left) on the front. The back (shown to the right) of the VRC4CPT includes a Ø1/2" (Ø12.7 mm), non-rotating IR-sensitive fluorescing alignment disk made of the same material used in our VRC4 Viewing Card. Alternatively, the back of the VRC6SCPT includes a Ø0.39" (Ø10.0 mm), non-rotating MIR alignment disk is made of the same thermochromic liquid crystal material used in our VRC6S Viewing Card, which reacts to laser sources over the 1.5 to 13.2 µm wavelength range, and has a minimum detectable power density of 0.05 mW/mm2 at 1550 nm (22 °C). The VRC4CPT plate has a Ø1.5 mm hole centered on the plate's Ø0.9 mm hole, and the VRC6SCPT has a Ø2.0 mm hole centered on the plate's Ø0.9 mm hole.
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