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Surge · Sway · Heave · Roll · Pitch · Yaw
6DOF motion platform, 150 to 2,000 kg in reference models.
Six servo electric legs on a 6-TPS parallel geometry. The number that decides whether it fits your project is not the axis count — it is the combined-axis workspace at your reference point, and that is what we size to.
Specifying against a datasheet? Start with the motion reference point — it changes every travel figure on the page.
Six legs at differing extension: every axis of motion is produced by all six actuators together, never by one.
6
Coordinated axes on a 6-TPS parallel mechanism
≤ 1 %
Cross-axis coupling on builds specified for test and measurement
42
Geometric parameters identified on the as-built machine
12 months
Warranty, with the acceptance record shipped alongside
What a six-axis specification usually gets wrong
Six axes is one machine, not three axes plus three
On a parallel platform every axis is produced by all six actuators at once. Drive heave to its listed maximum and the legs are already partly extended, so what remains for roll, pitch and yaw is smaller than their own listed maxima.
That is why an envelope quoted axis by axis is six separate best cases rather than one workspace. Two platforms can publish identical axis-by-axis figures and behave differently as soon as two axes are commanded together, because the attachment geometry differs — and the geometry is what the trajectory actually runs through.
So the first thing our engineering does with a six-axis enquiry is run the requested motion as a trajectory rather than compare it against a table. That check either closes or it does not, and finding out at the enquiry costs a conversation instead of a redesign.
Have a table of maxima rather than a profile? Send what you have and we will build the trajectory with you →
A workspace is a trajectory that closes, not six maxima in a row.
Where your load case lands
The 7-Model 6DOF Reference Ladder
Seven released configurations run from ACE-6DOF-150 to ACE-6DOF-2000, the number in the designation being the rated gross moving load in kilograms. The class matters more than the code, because the class decides which constraint governs the frame.
| Class | Gross moving load | What governs the design | Typically specified for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compact | 10 – 100 kg | Stiffness of your fixture and adapter, which at this scale usually limits measured performance before the actuators do. | Sensor and optical test rigs, single-seat cockpits, laboratory benches |
| Light | 100 – 500 kg | Centre-of-gravity height, which turns the same mass into a different moment as it rises. | Driving simulators, instrument platforms, component durability rigs |
| Mid | 500 – 1,000 kg | Actuator force and frame stiffness sized together; raising one without the other moves the limit rather than removing it. | Cabin sections, vehicle bucks, multi-axis test fixtures |
| Heavy | 1,000 – 2,000 kg | Foundation loading, installation access and neutral height become hard constraints before performance does. | Full cabin trainers, large test articles, motion-compensation rigs |
| Above the ladder | Over 2,000 kg | No reference frame applies. The hexagon is laid out around your moving assembly and the frame is analysed against the trajectory you send. | Project-specific six-axis platforms, quoted per case |
Gross moving load means everything above the mounting plane — your equipment, the fixture, the adapter and the cabling — not the mass on the drawing. Across the ladder linear acceleration runs between roughly 0.1 g and 1.0 g, but on a six-axis machine the figure that matters is what remains when the axes are commanded together, and that is issued per configuration rather than per class.
Know the mass but not which model? Send mass and CG height — that places it in a class →
The definition that changes every figure
Where you define the motion reference point rewrites the envelope
A six-axis platform reports pose at one chosen point on the moving assembly. Move that point and every travel figure moves with it, because rotation about a distant point produces translation the platform has to supply from the same six legs.
An eye point 1.4 m above the platform surface is the usual example. Ten degrees of roll about the platform centre asks for a modest actuator differential; the same ten degrees about that eye point adds roughly 240 mm of lateral travel the legs must also cover. Neither figure is wrong — they answer different questions, and a datasheet that does not state which one it answers cannot be compared with anything.
So the reference point goes into the proposal alongside the travel figures, and it is agreed before manufacturing rather than discovered during integration.
A travel figure without its reference point is not comparable to anything.
Not sure where your reference point should sit? Send the assembly drawing and we will propose one →
The 240 mm figure is arithmetic on a 1.4 m lever, not a product specification. What it shows is why the reference point has to be agreed before travel is quoted.
Reading a six-axis datasheet
Two rows decide whether two datasheets are comparable
The motion reference point and the separate combined-axis figures. Without both, a six-axis envelope is a list of best cases, and the gap between it and a real trajectory only becomes visible after the purchase order.
The full field list below is what we issue for a six-axis build, each one carrying the condition it was measured or rated at.
| Field | Stated as | Condition it is measured or rated at |
|---|---|---|
| Gross moving load | kg | Total mass above the mounting plane, including fixture, adapter and cabling |
| Maximum CG height | mm | Above the mounting plane, at the rated load |
| Motion reference point | x, y, z | Stated as coordinates on the moving assembly; every travel figure below refers to it |
| Single-axis travel | ± mm, ± ° | One axis commanded alone, at the rated load and rated CG height |
| Combined-axis travel | ± mm, ± ° | Stated separately and always smaller; issued for the axis combinations your profile uses |
| Peak linear acceleration | g | At the rated load, single axis, with the other axes quiet |
| Peak angular rate | °/s | At the rated load and rated inertia |
| Cross-axis coupling | % | Measured on the built platform; ≤ 1 % where the build is specified for test and measurement |
| Bandwidth | Hz at −3 dB | With the working range stated alongside; issued for test and measurement builds |
| Repeatability | mm | Laser tracker on the assembled platform at the acceptance load, not encoder feedback |
| Site supply | kVA, V, phases | Sized for the configuration and stated with the breaker rating |
| Footprint and neutral height | mm | With the mounting pattern and the service clearance the machine needs |
| Enclosure rating | IP | Standard indoor build; IP55 and other ratings on request |
Ask any supplier which of these thirteen rows their datasheet actually states. The ones usually missing are the reference point, the combined-axis figures and the load the acceleration was measured at — and those three are what a trajectory runs on.
Holding two datasheets side by side? Check which conditions each one attaches →
How a six-axis platform reaches acceptance
Five stations, then measured under load
The servo cylinders are machined in our own plant, which is why leg stroke, rod diameter and joint spacing are project variables rather than catalogue constraints.
ST 01
Leg machining
Six legs cut to one stroke and matched as a set, because a mismatch between legs shows up as coupling rather than as a length error.
ST 02
Frame fabrication
Base and moving frame built to the released attachment layout, with the load path taken from your assembly.
ST 03
Joint fit and preload
Cardan joints fitted and preloaded at both ends of every leg, so each leg resists torsion about its own axis.
ST 04
Parameter identification
As-built geometry measured and the difference from design values compensated inside this platform’s controller.
ST 05
Loaded acceptance
Combined trajectories run at the test load, with coupling measured rather than assumed from single-axis results.
Thresholds a six-axis build is accepted against
| Criterion | Threshold |
|---|---|
| Cross-axis coupling | ≤ 1 % |
| Bandwidth at −3 dB | ≥ 2 Hz, 0–15 Hz working range |
| Sine waveform distortion | ≤ 0.5 % |
| Random time-history reproduction | ≤ 3 % |
| Single-cylinder steady-state error | ≤ 0.1 mm |
| Mechanical design factor | > 3 × rated load |
Cross-axis coupling is the criterion that separates a six-axis platform from six actuators moving together, and it is the one a single-axis demonstration cannot show you. The lines that govern your build are fixed at the interface freeze, before anything is manufactured.
6DOF motion platform acceptance testing with five manufacturing stations, test load, and laser measurement system
Writing acceptance criteria into a tender? Request the coupling test method we run →
REAL BUILDS · COORDINATED SIX-AXIS MOTION
6DOF Motion Platforms in Action
See real CSCMotion 6DOF platforms in different sizes, geometries and integration stages. These examples show coordinated six-axis motion and customer-specific payload interfaces; final platform selection still depends on moving mass, CG and inertia, coupled workspace, duty cycle and mounting requirements.
High-Payload 6DOF Platform Demonstration
A large servo-electric 6DOF platform moving through coordinated translation and rotation in the factory, showing the scale and actuator layout of a high-payload configuration.
Compact 6DOF Motion Platform Demonstration
A compact Stewart platform reproducing combined motion within a smaller footprint, illustrating how six-axis movement can be integrated beneath compact customer equipment, research fixtures or simulator assemblies.
6DOF Wave-Compensation Demonstration
The platform changes position and attitude to demonstrate active stabilization and self-leveling motion for marine and moving-base research applications.
Compact Circular 6DOF Platform
A compact Stewart-platform configuration with six electric actuators arranged between circular base and moving frames, providing an open mechanical interface for smaller fixtures and payloads.
Rectangular 6DOF Platform with Test Load
A rectangular six-axis platform shown with a test load on its moving frame, illustrating how payload footprint and mounting geometry influence the platform layout.
Compact Enclosed 6DOF Motion Base
A compact six-actuator platform with an enclosed base and circular top interface for integrating customer equipment within a clean, space-efficient motion base.
Extended-Frame 6DOF Platform
The extended rectangular base and moving frame show how platform dimensions can be adapted to the payload footprint, mounting points and installation envelope.
6DOF Platform with Custom Payload Frame
A large customer-defined structure installed on the moving platform. This example shows why payload height, center of gravity and inertia must be considered together with total moving mass.
Square-Top 6DOF Motion Platform
A compact platform with a broad square top plate for mounting customer fixtures or equipment, combining six-axis movement with a straightforward mechanical interface.
Looking for the closest 6DOF reference for your project? Send us the moving mass, payload dimensions, CG and required motion envelope, and we’ll identify the most relevant configuration and available test video →
Where a six-axis platform is the wrong answer
Four requirements we will steer away from a hexapod
A parallel mechanism runs out of geometry before it runs out of actuator force. Recognising which limit you are hitting saves a redesign, so these go on the page rather than into the first design review.
Large yaw at large radius
A hexagon reaches its geometric limit long before the legs reach their force limit. Widening the base to chase yaw degrades stiffness and every other axis with it.
What we propose instead: a rotary stage in series above the six-axis base, which reaches the range without distorting the parallel geometry.
Only three axes ever commanded
Three legs paid for, powered and maintained for motion that is never requested. It happens most often when six axes were specified as insurance rather than from the task.
What we propose instead: a right-sized 3DOF platform, and we will say so before quoting rather than after.
Long travel on one axis
Parallel platforms trade travel for stiffness by design. A requirement dominated by one long stroke is asking a hexapod to behave like a linear stage.
What we propose instead: a serial axis carrying the long stroke with the platform mounted on it, sized as one system.
Where it is exactly right
- Motion has to be reproduced as a full pose rather than assembled from axes
- Cross-axis coupling is a measured quantity in your acceptance
- The cue depends on translation an operator can feel
- Pose accuracy at a defined reference point is the result
Unsure which limit your requirement is hitting? Compare the architectures side by side →
Agreed before manufacturing
How your host commands six axes
A six-axis command leaves more room for ambiguity than a three-axis one: pose order, rotation convention, the reference point, units and what the platform does when a packet is late.
All of it is written down at the interface freeze and signed before anything is manufactured. Both the controller and its boards come off our own line, which is why the command level and the coordinate convention are open for negotiation instead of fixed by a supplier we buy from.
Host communication runs over TCP/UDP or serial/Modbus; drive-level communication over EtherCAT or CANopen. We hold membership of the EtherCAT Technology Group and CAN in Automation, and our CANopen implementation is conformance tested. Which of these your build uses is a configuration decision rather than a fixed list.
Running a host that already speaks to another platform? Send the command set and we will match the convention →
6DOF motion platform control system diagram with motion controller, six servo drives, EtherCAT and electric actuators
Written into the proposal
What a 6DOF supply includes, and what your team keeps
Inside the supply
- Six-axis mechanism and the contracted top interface
- Six Servo electric cylinder, drives and feedback
- Platform controller, kinematics and electrical cabinet
- Platform-side commands, status and safety I/O
- Configuration drawings, manuals and spare parts list
- Parameter identification record for this platform
- Loaded acceptance test and the measurement record
- Twelve-month warranty
Normally yours
- Your payload, fixture and adapter design unless quoted
- Motion cueing or washout algorithm, unless scoped with us
- Visual system, instrumentation and data acquisition
- Host application, simulation model or courseware
- Foundations, site power, permits and site-wide safety
- Complete-system certification and operational approval
What to send for an accurate quote
- Gross moving load and CG height above the mounting plane
- Inertia or CAD mass properties
- The motion reference point on your assembly
- Required travel per axis, and which axes combine
- One representative trajectory or the test standard
- Ceiling height, footprint and access route
- Site supply and any ingress requirement
- Host system and intended acceptance method
Only have mass, CG and a rough trajectory? That is a first pass — send it and we will run the geometry →
From the six-axis line
Six-axis reference reading
Four pieces buyers ask for most often once a six-axis requirement is on the table — the mechanism, the geometry, the selection test and the delivered record.
Principle
How a 6DOF platform turns six leg lengths into one pose
Inverse and forward kinematics, why the forward solution admits multiple mathematically valid answers, and what that means for a reported pose.
Geometry
Stewart platform design and attachment layout
3-3, 6-3 and 6-6 topologies, base and platform radii, and why Cardan joints make the load path through each leg determinate.
Selection
When six axes earn their cost, and when they do not
The onset window, what a lateral cue carries, and the test that decides whether dropping three axes is free or fatal.
Delivered work
Six-axis project records
Constraint, decision and measured result for delivered platforms, including builds where a serial axis was added rather than a wider hexagon.
Asked before the drawings come out
6DOF motion platform FAQ
Can I reach all the travel figures on your datasheet at the same time?
No, and neither can anyone else's. On a parallel platform all six legs serve every axis, so driving one axis to its listed maximum consumes leg extension the other five would need. That is why we issue single-axis and combined-axis figures separately and state the reference point they apply to. If a datasheet lists six maxima with no combined figures and no reference point, it is describing six best cases rather than one workspace.
What payload can a 6DOF platform carry?
Reference models cover 150 to 2,000 kg gross moving load — everything above the mounting plane, including your fixture, adapter and cabling. Above 2,000 kg no reference frame applies and the geometry is designed to your moving assembly. On a six-axis platform the rating also depends on where the reference point sits, because rotation about a distant point draws travel from the same six legs that are carrying the mass.
How do you produce the accuracy figure, and can I check it?
By laser measurement on the assembled platform at the acceptance load, not by reading back the encoders. A commanded pose, a pose calculated from a mechanism model and a pose measured by an external instrument are three different claims, and on a six-axis machine forty-two identified parameters sit between the second and the third. Ask any supplier which of the three their figure came from; the answer usually settles the comparison.
My yaw requirement is large. Will a hexapod reach it?
Probably not, and the reason is geometry rather than force. A parallel platform runs out of workspace in yaw long before the legs run out of capability, and widening the base to chase it costs stiffness on every other axis. What we normally propose is a rotary stage in series above the six-axis base — it reaches a wider yaw range than a hexapod of the same footprint and leaves the other five axes intact.
Why is your quotation higher than a supplier offering the same axis travel?
Ask both suppliers three things: what load the travel was measured at, whether the figures are single-axis or combined, and which reference point they refer to. Quotations for six-axis platforms stop looking comparable once those are stated. If after that ours is still higher for equivalent scope, we would rather tell you where the difference sits than discount the specification to match.
Do you supply the motion cueing or washout algorithm?
Not by default. We supply the platform, its control equipment and the platform-side interface, and the cueing algorithm normally sits in your host application where the vehicle model already lives. Where a project needs it scoped with us, it is quoted as a defined work package with its own acceptance criteria rather than assumed into the platform price.
Do you supply the complete simulator or test system?
No. Cockpits, cabins, visual systems, avionics, instrumentation, courseware and the host application stay with you or your integrator, and complete-system certification sits with whoever owns the finished machine. The scope list on this page goes into the proposal in the same words, so nothing about the boundary is discovered at commissioning.
Commercial questions — lead time, payment, spares, support: Answered in the full FAQ →
Send the trajectory. We will tell you whether it closes.
Mass, centre-of-gravity height, the motion reference point and one representative trajectory are enough for a first pass — and if a reference model already covers your requirement, that is what you will hear back.