Miniature Linear Actuators
XLA SERIES - A BREAKTHROUGH IN MOTION CONTROL
Micro linear actuators with sub-micron precision and integrated controller. Ultra-compact, lightweight design for the next generation of instruments.
Our miniature linear actuator, also known as XLA, delivers an exceptional size-to-force ratio, packing unmatched performance into a miniature footprint. Once in position, it needs no power - ideal for demanding optics, biotech, and semiconductor applications. Lead time: 2 - 4 weeks
ULTRA COMPACT
SUB-MICRON PRECISION
HIGH SPEED
BUILT-IN CONTROLLER
SELF-LOCKING
FORCE UP TO 10 N
| XLA-1 | XLA-5 | XLA-10 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Force (N): | 1 | 5 | 10 |
| Width (mm): | 5.4 | 9.1* | 11.5 |
| All XLA's | |||
| Control: | Closed loop | ||
| Max. travel range (mm): | 150 | ||
| Repeatability (µm): | 10 ... 0.08 | ||
| Max. velocity (mm/s): | > 1000 | ||
| Lifetime (km): | > 1000 | ||
Select your mini linear actuator
Driving force
Rod length
= Travel range ⓘ:
Encoder resolution
Product code:
XLA-1-20-Open-L
Dimensions: 22,7 x 14,8 x 5,4 mm (4,9 mm without coverplate)
Pricing
| Force | Development kit | ≥ 1 pc | ≥ 100 pcs | ≥ 1.000 pcs | ≥ 10.000 pcs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1N - external controller | € 1.114 | € 714 | € 655 | ||
| 5N - external controller | € 1.054 | € 654 | € 600 | ||
| 5N - integrated controller | € 1.234 | € 834 | € 765 | ||
| 10N - external controller | € 1.354 | € 954 | € 875 | ||
| 10N - integrated controller | Coming in 2026 | ||||
Xeryon XLA vs Electromagnetic Actuators
DO MORE WITH LESS
| Xeryon XLA | Lead Screw Stepper | Linear Motor | Voice Coil | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in Controller | ✔ Yes | ✖ No | ✖ No | ✖ No |
| Compact | ✔ Yes | ✖ No | ✖ No | ✖ No |
| Precise | ✔ Yes | ✖ No | ✔ Yes | ✔ Yes |
| Fast | ✔ Yes | ✖ No | ✔ Yes | ✔ Yes |
| Long Stroke | ✔ Yes | ✔ Yes | ✔ Yes | ✖ No |
| Self-Locking | ✔ Yes | ✔ Yes | ✖ No | ✖ No |
| Low Heat | ✔ Yes | ✖ No | ✖ No | ✖ No |
| Non-Magnetic | ✔ Yes | ✖ No | ✖ No | ✖ No |
This table highlights the real-world differences between Xeryon's Mini / Micro Linear motor (XLA) technology vs Lead Screw Steppers, Linear Motors, and Voice Coil Actuators. The XLA offers precise, fast, and efficient positioning over any distance in an extremely compact footprint.
Unlike electromagnetic direct-drive actuators, the XLA doesn’t need constant power to maintain its position. Its self-locking design ensures maximum stability without heat generation. At the same time, it delivers the industry’s highest size-to-force ratio in a footprint far smaller than linear motors, linear shaft motors, voice-coil actuators and lead-screw actuators.
Compared to stepper motor actuators with lead screws, our miniature linear motors (XLA) deliver higher speeds, greater precision, and zero backlash or drift, all in a much smaller package.
Most importantly, the XLA is a complete motion system in itself. With a built-in sub-micron position encoder, controller, and linear guide, it offers true plug-and-play closed-loop positioning, requiring far less integration work than any small electromagnetic actuator.
Example applications
Thanks to our high precision linear actuator's compact form factor, high speed, and accuracy, the XLA actuators are well-suited for pick-and-place operations of small electronic components. They increase throughput and reliability in electronics manufacturing and semiconductor testing where repeatability and speed are essential.
Thanks to its slim design, multiple XLAs can be mounted side by side, with each actuator aligned to an individual JEDEC tray pocket for true parallel operation. Unlike electromagnetic systems, the XLA produces no crosstalk or magnetic interference, making zero-pitch stacking possible.
The XLA (nano linear actuators) actuators provide highly compact and repeatable motion for automated lab workflows, making them well-suited for precision liquid dispensing, colony picking and more. When stacked in arrays, for example eight actuators aligned in a row, they can control individual pipette tips or dispensers, enabling efficient and precise filling of well plates in high-throughput screening or diagnostics.
Combining stackability, precision, and speed, the XLA outperforms traditional motion technologies in high-throughput lab applications, replacing bulky voice coils, linear motors, and lead-screw steppers with a faster, more compact solution.
In motorized zoom lenses, the XLA offers a next-gen alternative to voice coil motors (fast, but limited travel) and lead screw or cam-based systems (long travel, but lack speed and precision).
The XLA can move lenses and sensors with sub-micron accuracy over any travel range with near-instant speed, eliminating zoom delay and extending range in (thermal) imaging applications.
Once in position, its self-locking design ensures positional hold without power draw or drift, allowing for stable, heat-free operation. Lastly, the motor's ultrasonic operation means silent positioning.
The XLA (high precision linear actuators) enable fine lens focusing by providing fast and stable adjustments over short travel ranges.
This makes them ideal for applications such as microscopy, machine vision, and laser systems, where achieving and maintaining a sharp focal plane is critical.
With their high precision and holding force, Xeryon actuators provide compact and efficient Z-axis motion in various (automated) imaging applications.
With nanometer precision, our silent micro linear actuators enable highly accurate and reliable motion in medical devices such as needle control systems, handheld scanners and surgical robots.
The XLA is the most compact yet complete actuator on the market, integrating seamlessly in space-constrained, safety-critical designs and taking them to the next level of performance.
Its low-voltage operation and failsafe self-locking design further enhance safety and reliability in critical medical applications.
Because of their compactness, Xeryon small linear actuators are an excellent choice for XY or XYZ sample positioning and plate handling in life sciences applications such as automated imaging systems, analytical instruments and metrology devices.
Offering instant coarse and fine positioning in one unit, the XLA opens up entirely new possibilities in microscopy, high-throughput screening and more.
Due to their excellent size-to-force ratio, long travel range and high speed, the XLA is very suitable for integration into custom XY(Z) sample stages.
Made in Europe. Trusted globally.
Xeryon fills a niche we haven’t seen anywhere else. The combination of high dynamics, integrated encoder and holding force in such a lightweight, long-stroke actuator is unmatched. Any alternative would require multiple components and still fall short in accuracy and stability.
Chief Technology Officer
High-throughput tissue engineering company
The speed and precision of Xeryon’s actuators enabled us to significantly improve our microscope design and disrupt the market. Most importantly, it has allowed our customers to accelerate scientific discovery. It’s rare to achieve such a technological leap.
Director of R&D
Fluorescence microscope manufacturer
Our laser systems use a large number of motorized optics. After experiencing quality and delivery issues with our main supplier, we decided to give Xeryon a try. They have proven to be a reliable supplier, and we found their piezo actuators to be much more durable than the ones we used before.
Senior Optomechanical Designer
Ultrafast laser source manufacturer
At first, I found it hard to believe this level of performance could come from such a compact package. Xeryon’s technology was the only solution that made it possible to downsize our design and build the machine our company had envisioned, enabling the next generation of automated test equipment. Their team was also incredibly helpful in answering all of our integration questions.
Principal Mechanical Engineer
Leading semiconductor test equipment manufacturer
All-in-one micro linear actuator | Detailed features
- Lightweight: Starting at a weight of just 5 grams, the XLA sets a new benchmark for weight-to-performance ratio.
- Slim & stackable: The XLA’s slim, low-profile design makes it easy to stack into multi-actuator arrays, enabling precise dispensing, pick-and-place, and other parallel motion tasks. Unlock one-to-one alignment with well plates, JEDEC trays and other high-throughput formats.
- Move at any speed: From rapid acceleration and dynamic high-speed motion to ultra-slow, controlled positioning, the XLA is the fastest small actuator with true precision. From nanometers to centimeters, it does it all.
- High force: Despite its tiny size, this compact linear actuator delivers up to 10 N of force. Multiple units can be stacked for even greater output.
- Built-in encoder and controller: Integrated encoder + controller provide plug-and-play closed-loop positioning with sub-micron accuracy, all in an ultra-compact footprint. Faster integration, fewer cables, and smarter control for micro linear actuator setups. An optional external controller is also available.
- No drift or backlash: The XLA ultrasonic mini linear actuator delivers sub-micron stability with zero backlash or long-term drift, ensuring reliable precision motion in optics, life sciences, metrology, and semiconductor applications.
- Maintenance-free: No gears, no screws and no lubrication. The patented ultrasonic motor ensures a long lifetime of hundreds of kilometers and a high duty cycle.
- Built-in linear guide: Unlike most small linear actuators, the XLA has an integrated linear guide that can be used for guiding lighter payloads such as optics. Mechanical integration with external guideways is also possible.
- Holds position when powered off: Self-locking friction keeps position with zero standby power and heat. Energy-efficient holding for stable, long-term positioning in compact, portable instruments and vertical orientations.
- Noiseless: Our miniature actuators deliver silent, vibration-free motion for clean quiet applications. Perfect for microscopes, imaging systems, and noise-sensitive environments.
- Backdrivable: Allows safe manual adjustment and compliant interactions when required, whether powered on or off.
- No magnetic field: Unlike electromagnetic actuators, the XLA has no magnets or coils. It won’t disturb nearby sensors or other sensitive equipment and allows side-by-side stacking of multiple actuators without interference.
- Flexible mounting: Designed for versatility, the XLA can be either body-mounted or rod-mounted.
Related products
Frequently Asked Questions
A mini linear actuator converts energy into precise linear motion in a compact form, balancing stroke, speed, and force for space-constrained instruments. Xeryon’s XLA adds sub-micron positioning, long stroke, quiet operation, and power-off holding. See the full Mini Linear Actuator Guide
Xeryon’s XLA is a mini linear actuator (or micro linear actuator) driven by our Crossfixx™ ultrasonic piezo motor. It is one of the world's smallest linear actuators. The motor vibrates a ceramic tip in a controlled elliptical path at ~80–180 kHz, spring-loaded against a ceramic track on the rod. This creates rapid, sub-micron steps for high-speed, precise, and silent motion in an ultra-compact form factor—without the usual drawbacks of traditional piezo actuators.
Learn more about our Piezo Linear Motors.
Learn more about Different types of Mini Linear actuators.
Xeryon’s micro linear actuators offer a unique combination of high speed, precision, long stroke, and durability in an ultra-compact design, overcoming the limitations of traditional linear actuators where trade-offs have to be made (e.g. stroke length in voice coils, speed and precision in screw-driven actuators, and size and holding force in linear motors). Xeryon’s actuators are gearless, self-locking, energy-efficient and operate at low voltages. They don’t produce a magnetic field, are back-drivable, and free from drift or play.
For a complete overview of different micro linear actuators, take a look this comparison page.
Xeryon’s ultrasonic piezo actuators are much faster, have a much larger stroke, a much (much!) longer lifetime, operate noiselessly, consume less power, and operate at a much lower voltage at the piezo element. In other words, they offer the precision and compact size of traditional piezo actuators, without their typical drawbacks. Traditional stick-slip piezo actuators operate at much lower frequencies, typically within the frequency range of small mechanical components. Apart from being in the human audible spectrum, this introduces the risk of the piezo motor making the entire system vibrate, rather than only the motor itself. Xeryon's ultrasonic piezo actuators operate at much higher frequencies (80 - 180 kHz), ensuring silent operation and no unwanted vibrations.
For a complete overview of different linear motion systems for space-constrained applications, take a look this comparison page.
Yes. Our ultrasonic piezo actuator does not generate a magnetic field, is noiseless, largely maintenance-free, and can hold position when powered off (no standby power/heat). It can also be manually adjusted / overridden without affecting the actuator's lifetime. This makes it ideal for sensitive applications like medical devices, imaging, cleanrooms, and precision automation.
Explore and compare motor technology on the Ultrasonic piezo motor page.
Yes. Frictional self-locking lets the actuator hold position with power off, reducing heat and energy use as well as safety. It’s also backdrivable, enabling safe manual adjustments or compliant interactions when the application or assembly process requires it.
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