Thermal characterization of a 6-positioner, 6.2-mm-pitch module for stage-5 telescopes

Ensuring thermal stability of robotic fiber positioners is essential for reliable operation in the real environments of Stage-5 telescopes, where temperature variations can influence mechanical behavior and impact fiber-target accuracy. We present the results of thermal qualification tests conducted on 6.2-mm-pitch robotic positioner modules developed for high-density fiber positioning in next-generation astronomical systems. The positioners were characterized at discrete temperatures spanning –20 °C to +30 °C, representative of expected operational conditions. At each temperature point, key performance metrics, positioning repeatability, hard-stop repeatability, backlash, and non-linearity, were measured and compared to nominal performance. Across the full temperature range, the positioners maintained stable behavior with no measurable degradation in any metric and no evidence of mechanical or electrical damage. These results confirm that the 6.2-mm-pitch architecture provides the necessary thermal resilience for deployment in Stage-5 telescope instrumentation.