Is the CYGX80-0802-50-42 a drop-in replacement for the Thorlabs MTS50-Z8?

No. The MTS50-Z8 is a closed-loop servo stage and the CYGX80-0802-50-42 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 CYGX80-0802-50-42 more repeatable than the MTS50-Z8?

Not established. Thorlabs publishes ± 0.8 µm bidirectional repeatability for the MTS50-Z8. The catalogue figure for the CYGX80-0802-50-42 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 MTS50-Z8 vs CYGX80-0802-50-42

Comparison

Thorlabs MTS50-Z8 vs CYGX80-0802-50-42

You need 50 mm of motorised travel and a payload the MTS50-Z8 cannot take, or you need it sooner than it ships.

Where we are stronger

Nearly 2× the payload and 8× the velocity, both published like-for-like

Where Thorlabs is

Closed loop, and a documented specification for a qualification file

Request a quote for the CYGX80-0802-50-42 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 MTS50-Z8	CYGX80-0802-50-42	Unit	Basis
Travel	50	50	mm	Total stroke, both catalogues.
Maximum velocity	2.4	20	mm/s	Manufacturer maximum, both catalogues.
Max horizontal load	12	20	kg	On-axis centred load, both catalogues.
Table	Not stated in the manual specification table	80×100	mm	Mounting surface.
Stage mass	0.34	1.53	kg	Stage only, no controller.
Lead screw	1.0 mm pitch	φ8, 2 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 290 (absolute on-axis, over 50 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 50 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 290 (absolute on-axis, over 50 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 50 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.

MTS50-Z8 — Closed-loop DC servo: a rotary encoder on the motor feeds position back to the controller, which corrects to the commanded point.

CYGX80-0802-50-42 — 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 MTS50-Z8 is closed loop; an open-loop stepper does not detect a missed step.
You are already on Kinesis or APT and the stage has to drop into that system.
You need a revision-controlled specification for a qualification file.

When the CYGX80-0802-50-42 is the better buy

what we actually compete on

The payload is above 12 kg. This is the one headline figure where the published, like-for-like numbers favour us, and by a wide margin.
Cycle rate matters: eight times the maximum velocity, same basis, both catalogues.
The schedule cannot absorb a lead time.

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 CYGX80-0802-50-42

full specifications and drawing

CYGX80-0802-50-42 linear stage, three-quarter view

Travel50mm

Table80×100mm

Max speed20mm/s

Load20kg

Request a quote Full specifications

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