PI wins the 2026 Inspect Award for innovative positioning technology

PI’s 6-axis NanoCube system took first place in the “Automation & Control” category at the 2026 Inspect Award. The award recognizes a high-precision positioning solution for applications in the photonics and semiconductor industries. PI has been part of the HOERBIGER Group since April 2026.

The NanoCube combines high precision with a compact design. The system aligns optical fibers and optical components with nanometer precision—a key requirement for the manufacture of photonic components and semiconductors.

Whether in data centers, sensors, or quantum technologies, photonic chips transmit data using light instead of electricity. To ensure that light passes from the chip into an optical fiber with as little loss as possible, both components must be precisely aligned with one another. The NanoCube handles this task. It moves components in six directions and positions them with a repeatability that is more than a thousand times finer than a human hair.

The NanoCube is also used for testing semiconductor chips directly on the wafer. Intelligent search algorithms and machine learning automate the alignment process. This makes the process faster, reliably repeatable, and suitable for mass production.

The Inspect Award is one of the most prestigious accolades in industrial image processing and optical metrology. The winners are selected by a panel of experts and the readers of the industry magazine inspect. The award ceremony took place in early October at the VISION 2026 trade show in Stuttgart, Germany.