Is the CYGX60-0801-25-42 a drop-in replacement for the Thorlabs MTS25-Z8?

No. The MTS25-Z8 is a closed-loop servo stage and the CYGX60-0801-25-42 is an open-loop stepper stage. They are different classes of machine, the mounting patterns differ, and the controller is not interchangeable. Compare the published figures and confirm the mounting and controller interface before ordering.

Is the CYGX60-0801-25-42 more repeatable than the MTS25-Z8?

Not established. Thorlabs publishes ± 0.8 µm bidirectional repeatability for the MTS25-Z8. The catalogue figure for the CYGX60-0801-25-42 is ± 0.3 µm but does not state whether it is unidirectional or bidirectional, and a unidirectional figure is always the flattering one. The two numbers are not comparable until that basis is confirmed.

Home / Motorized Linear Stages / Thorlabs MTS25-Z8 vs CYGX60-0801-25-42

Comparison

Thorlabs MTS25-Z8 vs CYGX60-0801-25-42

You are specifying 25 mm of motorised linear travel and want to know what the MTS25-Z8 costs you in money and in weeks, and what a stepper stage of the same stroke gives up.

Where we are stronger

4× the maximum velocity, on the same 25 mm and the same 1 mm screw lead

Where Thorlabs is

Closed loop, 12 kg against our 7, and a revision-controlled manual

Request a quote for the CYGX60-0801-25-42 Full specifications

Every Thorlabs figure below is read from their own published document, cited at the foot of this page. Figures that share a unit but were not measured the same way are kept in a separate table and marked — why that distinction decides the comparison.

Measured the same way

directly comparable

Parameter	Thorlabs MTS25-Z8	CYGX60-0801-25-42	Unit	Basis
Travel	25	25	mm	Total stroke, both catalogues.
Maximum velocity	2.4	10	mm/s	Manufacturer maximum, both catalogues.
Max horizontal load	12	7	kg	On-axis centred load, both catalogues.
Table	Not stated in the manual specification table	60×60	mm	Mounting surface.
Stage mass	0.31	0.64	kg	Stage only, no controller.
Lead screw	1.0 mm pitch	φ8, 1 mm lead	—	Screw lead per revolution.
Guideway	Not stated in the manual specification table	Crossed roller	—	Bearing type.

Same unit, different measurement

not comparable as printed

Parameter	Published figures	Why they do not compare
Repeatability (µm)	Thorlabs ± 0.8 — Bidirectional, stated as such in the manual. Ours ± 0.3 — The supplied catalogue gives one ± figure and does not say whether it is unidirectional or bidirectional.	These are not the same measurement. A unidirectional figure is always the flattering one, and ours is not labelled. Until the basis is confirmed, read our ± 0.3 µm as not directly comparable to their ± 0.8 µm — not as better than it.
Positioning accuracy (µm)	Thorlabs 145 (absolute on-axis, over 25 mm) — Absolute on-axis accuracy over full travel, closed loop. Ours 5 — Catalogue figure. No measurement standard, test temperature or load condition is stated.	These are not comparable figures. The gap is far too large to be a product difference and is almost certainly a difference in what was measured: Thorlabs publishes an absolute error accumulated over the whole 25 mm, and the supplied catalogue does not say what its 5 µm covers or over what distance. Do not design to our figure without asking engineering to confirm the basis.

Parameter

Published figures

Why they do not compare

Repeatability (µm)

Thorlabs ± 0.8 — Bidirectional, stated as such in the manual.

Ours ± 0.3 — The supplied catalogue gives one ± figure and does not say whether it is unidirectional or bidirectional.

These are not the same measurement. A unidirectional figure is always the flattering one, and ours is not labelled. Until the basis is confirmed, read our ± 0.3 µm as not directly comparable to their ± 0.8 µm — not as better than it.

Positioning accuracy (µm)

Thorlabs 145 (absolute on-axis, over 25 mm) — Absolute on-axis accuracy over full travel, closed loop.

Ours 5 — Catalogue figure. No measurement standard, test temperature or load condition is stated.

These are not comparable figures. The gap is far too large to be a product difference and is almost certainly a difference in what was measured: Thorlabs publishes an absolute error accumulated over the whole 25 mm, and the supplied catalogue does not say what its 5 µm covers or over what distance. Do not design to our figure without asking engineering to confirm the basis.

What separates them

drive class

They are not the same class of machine, and that matters more than any single number.

MTS25-Z8 — Closed-loop DC servo: a rotary encoder on the motor feeds position back to the controller, which corrects to the commanded point.

CYGX60-0801-25-42 — Open-loop stepper: the controller counts steps and trusts the mechanics. There is no position feedback, so a missed step is not detected or corrected.

Everything below is read out of the two published catalogues. Where a figure is the manufacturer's, the source is named. Where the two numbers share a unit but were not measured the same way, they are in a separate table and the difference is spelled out, because in this category that is where specification errors come from.

When to stay with Thorlabs

honestly

You need position feedback. The MTS25-Z8 is closed loop and knows where it is; an open-loop stepper does not, and a missed step under load or acceleration is silent.
You are already on Kinesis or APT. The controller, the software and the motion API are a working system, and replacing one stage inside it is not a like-for-like swap.
You need a documented, revision-controlled specification for a qualification file. Thorlabs publishes a manual with a revision letter and a date; our figures come from a supplier catalogue whose measurement basis is, in places, not stated.

When the CYGX60-0801-25-42 is the better buy

what we actually compete on

The application needs the stroke and the mechanics, not servo feedback — most fixturing, alignment and sample positioning does not.
Cycle rate matters more than the last micron. Four times the maximum velocity is a published, like-for-like difference.
The schedule cannot absorb a lead time. Stock is the reason most buyers reach this page.

Source

where their figures come from

Thorlabs figures on this page are read from MTS25-Z8 and MTS50-Z8 Brushed DC Motorized Translation Stages, HA0210T Rev K, Thorlabs, July 2021. Manufacturer user manual, Chapter 5 Specifications. We do not reprint their drawings or images. Confirm the current revision against Thorlabs before you design to any of it — and confirm ours in the quotation before you order.

The CYGX60-0801-25-42

full specifications and drawing

CYGX60-0801-25-42 linear stage, three-quarter view

Travel25mm

Table60×60mm

Max speed10mm/s

Load7kg

Request a quote Full specifications

Stock and despatch are confirmed on the quotation for the quantity you need.