Next Generation Encoders That You Can Trust!

ZS Instruments optical encoders provide up to 20x better fundamental resolution and lower subdivisional errors as compared to the traditional scales with 20 μm pitch.

Award-winning encoder scale manufacturing technology developed under grants and cooperative agreement from the National Science Foundation.

Linear Encoders For Machine Tools, CNC, and OEM Applications

Our encoders are available in a wide range of industry standard form factors. Either it’s a new design or a drop-in replacement, we have a solution to your linear positioning needs.

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We Provide Precision Angular & Rotary Encoders

For all your rotary measuring needs, we offer a wide variety of angle and rotary solutions for everything from arcsecond indexing to motor speed monitoring.

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Digital Readouts and DRO kits

The DR series of digital readouts provides up to 4 axes of position readouts for milling machines, lathes, horizontal boring mills, surface grinders, OD grinders, and other manufacturing machinery.

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Linear & Rotary Encoders

Check out our extensive portfolio of precision linear, rotary, and angle encoders. Discuss your specific OEM and MRO encoder needs with us today.

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Replacement Encoders

Our Plug & Play replacement encoders have the same connector and output signals, and in many cases, the same mounting dimensions as your old encoder.

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Digital Readouts

3-axis and 4-axis LCD DRO kits are available for milling machines, lathes, grinders, and more. Contact us regarding distributor and local installer opportunities.

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ZS Instruments Advantage

High resolution Optical Technology. Available on both glass and low CTE materials.
USA owned company, USA based manufacturing, USA based technical support.
Fastest delivery times in the industry. Wide range of models with dimensions and output signals directly interchangable with existing encoders.

Innovation

Made in the USA

Customer Centric

Years in Business

Customers Served

Years of Industry Experience

Patents & Pending Applications

Our Encoders Provide Precision Positioning Sensing for Many Motion Control Applications

Electronics & Semiconductor

The semiconductor industry relies on some of the most accurate and precise equipment in the world.

From front-end wafer fabrication to advanced packaging and Pick & Place operations, ZS Instruments’ encoders help solve the most demanding precision positioning challenges.

As feature sizes continue to shrink, the accuracy of motion control systems and positioning stages must continually improve. ZS Instruments' state-of-the-art ultra-precision glass scale manufacturing capabilities produce encoders that drive these technological advancements.
Wafer handling robots, physical probing machines, microscopes, computer vision inspection, photomask defect repair, laser drilling, and dicing are just a few examples where ZS Instruments’ high-performance encoders enhance the accuracy and yield.
ZS Instruments' angle encoders complement linear encoders, providing ultra-high-resolution feedback across all six degrees of freedom.

Aerospace & Defense

In the aerospace and defense sector, only the best and most reliable components can meet the stringent demands of this industry.

ZS Instruments delivers top-quality, USA-made encoders trusted for both civilian and military applications.

Our encoders conform to IPC-A-610 Class III standards, ensuring the highest reliability in design, manufacturing, and inspection of electronic assemblies.
As an established DoD supplier (CAGE code 8HLC4), we offer a broad range of off-the-shelf and custom encoders, along with in-house micro and nano-fabrication services to meet diverse application needs.
ZS Instruments has the capability to reverse-engineer and replicate encoders with exact matching dimensions, mounting profiles, and output interfaces for obsolete or out-of-production units, ensuring seamless integration into existing systems.

Metrology & Machine Tools

In modern precision manufacturing, what you produce is only as accurate as what you can measure.

High-performance machine tools and metrology equipment require precise position feedback systems to operate. Optical encoders can provide accurate positioning data that allows equipment to move in increments 1,000x smaller than a human hair.

ZS Instruments’ encoders feed linear and angular position to motion controllers on CNC mills, lathes, grinders,laser cutters, water jets, etc.
System integrators and OEM design engineers trust ZS Instruments to maintain precise and reliable motion control, powering cutting-edge technologies such as collaborative robotics.
ZS Instruments’ linear encoders and ultra-precision glass scales deliver direct position feedback for a wide range of inspection equipment, including CMMs, optical comparators, measuring microscopes, vision systems, length gauges, and more.

Robotics & Automation

Advances in robotics and automated guided vehicle (AGV) technology demand ever more accurate position feedback.

Optical encoders are suitable for a variety of applications, ranging from the delicate control of semiconductor assembly to the rigors of industrial welding, and even to the extremes of radiation, temperature, and vacuum endured by the remote manipulator arms of spacecraft.

Servos in cutting-edge AGVs and logistics robots rely on encoders for commutation and precise control.
Angle and rotary encoders provide unparalleled precision in detecting and monitoring position, speed, and orientation.
Encoders enhance safety by enabling real-time monitoring and precise control, offering significant advantages over open-loop systems.

Medical Equipment

Medical equipment demands precise and reliable positioning to ensure patient safety and accurate treatment outcomes.

ZS Instruments’ encoders address this challenge by providing real-time, ultra-high-resolution feedback on linear position, speed, and angular orientation, enabling precise control and adjustments.

Encoders enable robotic surgery by allowing a surgeon’s movements to be precisely magnified, facilitating microscopic manipulations and enhancing control during delicate procedures.
High-precision encoders improve the quality of medical imaging, ensuring that MRI and CT scanners achieve smooth and accurate motion when capturing images from multiple angles and locations.
In radiation therapy, more precise encoders allow for the accurate positioning of both patients and equipment, ensuring targeted treatment that minimizes exposure to surrounding healthy tissues.

Clean Energy

Solving the challenges of renewable energy is one of the most impactful engineering pursuits of the 21st century.

Whether it’s the manufacturing of next-generation batteries and solar cells or monitoring wind turbine speed, high-precision position feedback is critical for advancing renewable energy technologies and maximizing their efficiency.

Precision rotary encoders ensure optimal alignment of solar panels by accurately measuring their position, allowing for maximum sunlight capture throughout the day.
In green manufacturing, nearly every piece of automated equipment— from precision slot-die coating machines to conveyors and robotics—benefits from encoders to enhance accuracy, improve production yield, and minimize waste.
ZS Instruments offers custom encoders tailored to meet the growing demands of the renewable energy sector, helping OEMs overcome even the most complex and challenging operational requirements.

Research & Scientific

Encoders are the foundation of accurate and repeatable measurement instruments.

ZS Instruments’ encoders are engineered and manufactured with the utmost care to push the boundarieds of precision.

With years of research and development experience, we understand the unique challenges of the laboratory environment. That’s why we are dedicated to providing solutions that can overcome the toughest metrological challenges.
High accuracy grade optical encoders can achieve sub-nm resolutions, and enable fine measurements and nano-positioning over a long distance.
Ask us about enoders manufactured with low thermal expansion ceramic-based substrates for ultimate thermal stability.

Do you need to replace 3rd party encoders?

We offer a wide variety of drop-in replacement encoders with identical mounting dimensions and wiring to most industry standard products.

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