S4E29 Drew Devitt | Porous Media Air Bearings

What this episode covers

Drew Devitt, founder and CTO of New Way Air Bearings, explains the physics and applications of porous media air bearings, which use millions of sub-micron orifices in materials like graphite or ceramic to create frictionless motion. He details how these bearings achieve high stiffness and damping in precision applications like coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) and semiconductor stages, often using vacuum preload to enhance performance. Devitt also discusses mounting options such as flexure mounts and bonded replication, the low air flow requirements, and emerging uses in flexible electronics and high-speed rotating equipment.