MKM

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Modular Kinematic Mounts

The MKM product family features high cycle count, high load, low stiction, and is designed for the manufacturing floor environment. Based on our patented BiCollar technology, MKM mounts are availabe in both three- and four- legged configurations, and in a wide variety of sizes.

The MKM series mating elements are contamination resistant, and when disassembled, provide a clean damage-resistant interface. The mating bodies are fabricated from 440c Stainless Steel, hardened to 62Rc. Optional retainers are bolted from the top, and follow any post-assembly motion.

Both 3-legged and 4-legged configurations are available, and can be fabricated in a variety of sizes, with load capacities ranging from tens of kg to tens of tons.

Three-legged or four-legged? A three-legged mount comprizes three 2-DOF mating elements ("V" elements) whereas a four-legged mount comprizes two 2-DOF mating elements ("V") and two 1-DOF mating elements ("D" elements). Counter-intuitively, a four legged mount cannot warp the mated plates, even if the four legs are not on a single plane.

Three-legged mounts are elegant in that they are comprized of identical mating elements, and completely decouple in-plane and out-of-plane stresses and strains. However, when mounting a rectangular object, a three-legged mount describes a triangle which is inscribed in the frame, so half of the area of the frame is outside of that triangle (shown in red on the right). A four-legged mount has a larger stable zone (shown in green), but unless retained, can lose stability under some loading conditions.

For more information on four-legged kinematic mounts, please consult this page first.

Mount size	Assembly load
BC0125-MKM	125 kgf
...	...
BC0500-MKM	2000 kgf
BC0750-MKM	4000 kgf
BC1000-MKM	8000 kgf
...	...
BC4000-MKM	128000 kgf

Load limits are specified using a safety factor of 100% over the yield condition in a static horizontal assembly, and are specified for single 2-DOF mating elements. 1-DOF mating elements (as are used in the four-legged mount) have only half the load capacity of same-sized 2-DOF mating elements.

For high cycle-count applications, further de-rating is advised to ensure that the metal remains below the fatigue limit. If a preload is required (as in the case of dynamic or tiltable applications), the preload has to be subtracted from the load capacity of the mating element.

Please contact us with any questions, by email at , or by phone at

Modular Kinematic Mount Part Catalog