Applications for Kinematic Mounts

When used to assemble system component "A" onto system component "B", kinematic mounts provide four main underlying benefits:

  1. Zero stress. Neither component is ever stressed due to being in the assembly. For example, if component A is an enclosure box, and component B is a warp-sensitive piece of equipment such as an optical bed, then even if component A was to deform due to mechanical or thermal (CTE) stresses, component B might move, but would never warp. (This is true even in the case of a four-legged kinematic mount!).
  2. Loose fabrication tolerances. There is no requirements that the mating elements be assembled onto the two system components with a high degree of accuracy in order for the mount to function accurately.
  3. Repeatability. If the mount is de-mated and then re-mated, the two components return to the same spatial position relative to each other, with very high accuracy.
  4. Rigidity. The connection is highly rigid, and will not experience creep or stick-slip behavior during changing thermal or load conditions.

Below are sample application where kinematic mounts serve to improve performance, increase equipment uptime, reduce O&M costs, and generally make the world a better, happier, more predictable place.

Optics and Lasers

Robotics and Automation

Precision Manufacturing


Metrology and Measurement

Science and Research