A LAB POSITIONING STAGE COSTS 10,000 DOLLARS. THIS ONE STEPS 50 NANOMETERS AND IS OPEN SOURCE
A lab positioning stage that moves pipettes onto single cells costs 10,000 dollars — this one hits 50 nanometer steps using ordinary stepper motors and is MIT licensed.
ScienceOpen-hardware
- difficulty
- ●●●●●
- time
- a weekend-plus
- license
- MIT
- repo
- repo ACTIVE1,700 stars
●●●●● · a weekend-plus · MIT · 1,700 stars · repo ACTIVE
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
- 3D printer + filament — printable parts — files are in the repo
- Electronic parts — full list with part numbers in the repo BOM
- Dev board / microcontroller — runs the project firmware
Partner
COMPAREE VERDICT
This is a three-axis micromanipulator that reaches 50 nanometer step sizes using stepper motors, magnetic encoders, and closed-loop control — the kind of precision stage that costs 10,326 dollars from Sutter or 4,745 dollars from Thorlabs. It takes G-code, so if you have run a CNC machine, the interface will feel familiar. The MIT license covers everything: CAD, boards, firmware, and documentation. The hard part is not the license or the files — it is that there is no step-by-step assembly guide. You will need to read the firmware, cross-reference the BOM, and figure out how the mechanics go together from photos and the CAD model. The creator built this for their own lab work and released it; they did not write it for someone who has never wired a stepper driver or debugged a motion controller. If you have built a 3D printer from scratch or tuned a CNC machine, this is within reach. If you have not, the learning curve will be steep and the debugging will take longer than the build. The single thing most likely to go wrong is misalignment or poor mechanical coupling — at 50 nanometer precision, a loose grub screw or a bent shaft will ruin the entire axis.
IN THE REPO
NOT IN THE REPO
- —MIT license explicitly covers hardware, firmware and documentation.
- —FreeCAD models and STLs are in the repo. KiCad board files with Gerbers are present.
- —C++ firmware with motion path planning is included. G-code interface works like a CNC machine.
- —Bill of materials is provided. No assembly manual — you will debug from the code and images.
- —Magnetic encoders and closed-loop control run at 30 kHz. The demo video shows a 53 micrometer Benchy.
- —This is a research tool, not a drop-in replacement for certified lab equipment.
Can I build this?
Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.
Partner · KickstarterHeyGears G1: 10M+ colors and transparent parts in one print, plus UV printing on flat objects. Figures, parts and labels — no painting.
Videos
Demonstration video showing the micromanipulator in operation
399,000 views. Shows the mechanism moving under a microscope and cutting a 53 micrometer 3D Benchy. No step-by-step assembly — it is a demonstration of the finished build.
Gallery
Start here
Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.
- 1.Clone the repository and read the README to understand what the project does and does not include.
- 2.Open the BOM and verify you can source the stepper motors, magnetic encoders, and linear stages.(Part numbers are listed. Availability varies by region.)
- 3.Load the FreeCAD models to see how the mechanics fit together.(There is no assembly manual. You will work from the CAD and photos.)
- 4.Set up PlatformIO and compile the firmware to check for dependency issues before you order parts.(The C++ code is well-structured but assumes you know how to configure stepper drivers and motion controllers.)
Resources
Documentation, files and community threads for this build — we link straight to the original sources and never rehost the creator’s files.
KNOWN ISSUES
- No assembly manual. You will reverse-engineer the build order from the CAD, the code, and the demo video.
- Magnetic encoder alignment is critical. A tenth of a millimeter off and you lose the 50 nanometer precision.
- The BOM does not list specific suppliers. Part availability will vary and you may need to substitute encoders or stages.
- G-code senders vary in quality. Test yours with simple moves before you run a full job.
- Stepper current tuning is required. Too high and the motors heat up and drift; too low and you lose torque and miss steps.
- This is a research tool. Do not assume it will drop into a regulated lab workflow without calibration and validation.
Can I use this to replace a commercial micromanipulator in a production lab?
No. This is a research build, not certified lab equipment. You can use it for your own experiments, but it has not been validated for regulated work.
Do I need a microscope to use this?
No, but the project was built for microscopy work. You can drive it with G-code for any three-axis positioning task.
What if I cannot source the exact encoders in the BOM?
You will need to modify the firmware to match the new encoder's resolution and interface. The code is readable, but it is not plug-and-play.
How hard is the mechanical alignment?
Very hard. At 50 nanometer precision, everything has to be square and rigid. Budget time for test moves and iterative adjustment.
Community builds
No community builds yet — be the first, we feature the best ones.
Discussion1
FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM
The demo cuts a 3D Benchy 53 micrometers long using G-code — what would you use three-axis nanometer precision for?
Diffraction Limited
Diffraction Limited built this micromanipulator for their own lab work and released the entire design under MIT license. The demo video has 399,000 views.
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DISCLAIMER
- Comparee is not the author of the projects featured here. All rights to each project belong to its creator — every page links to the original source, and we never host creators’ files.
- Information is provided without warranty and may become outdated as projects evolve. Prices are indicative bands only — always check the creator’s parts list for current costs.
- Building and operating any project is at your own responsibility. Protective equipment, safe workshop practice and compliance with local regulations are the builder’s responsibility.
CompareeTEAM2d ago
Practical notes from our verification: the MIT license explicitly covers hardware and documentation, which is rare and worth calling out. The demo video has 399,000 views and shows the mechanism moving under a microscope — it is a demonstration of the finished build, not a build guide. The single biggest gap is the lack of an assembly manual; you will work from the CAD, the BOM, and the firmware. If you have built a 3D printer or a CNC machine from scratch, that will feel normal. If you have not, budget extra time for debugging alignment and stepper tuning.