Medium 6DOF Motion Platforms:
Mid-Size Hexapods from 500 to 2500 kg
SANLAB's mid-size 6DOF motion platform class covers six hexapod Stewart platforms with payload capacities from 500 kg to 2500 kg. Every model in the class runs on six electromechanical actuators, and every model is available with an IP66 outdoor option.
SANLAB manufactures these platforms, and the class is not a single chassis scaled up six times. It contains three distinct chassis tiers: a compact body with 300 mm actuator stroke, a mid body with 600 mm stroke, and a large body with 600 mm stroke. Stroke, parked footprint and motion envelope all change when you cross a tier boundary, so the right model is not chosen by reading the payload column alone. For the wider product line, see the full 6DOF motion platform range from 50 to 14,000 kg.
SMOTION500 - E6D
Payload: 500 KG
With a 500 kg capacity, this robust 6DOF system is engineered for high precision testing of Remote Control Weapon Systems, Radar, and Antenna arrays. Its advanced hexapod Stewart architecture delivers the high fidelity motion required for electro optical evaluation and stabilization testing, making it a premier choice for professional flight and driving simulators.
SMOTION800 - E6D
Payload: 800 KG
Supporting 800 kg, this versatile 6DOF motion system serves as a powerful integration base for high end defense evaluation and film production. It offers the stability required for testing RCWS, turret assemblies, and antenna arrays while enabling synchronized motion for heavy camera rigs and set pieces. Its Stewart architecture ensures authentic, reliable performance.
SMOTION1000 - E6D
Payload: 1000 KG
Supporting 1000 kg payload, this robust 6DOF motion system is engineered for high load system integration and rigorous technical evaluation. It provides the stability required for testing heavy turret assemblies, radar arrays, and remote control weapon stations. Its precise Stewart architecture ensures reliable performance for complex stabilization trials and professional film production rigs.
SMOTION1500 - E6D
Payload: 1500 KG
Handling a 1500 kg payload, this heavy duty 6DOF motion platform is optimized for full cabin integration and rigorous system testing. Its extended stroke and rigid structure provide exceptional control for validating armored vehicle turrets, radar arrays, and electro optical systems. This versatile system ensures zero compromise accuracy for demanding field ready setups.
SMOTION1800 - E6D
Payload: 1800 KG
Handling an 1800 kg capacity, this high load 6DOF motion platform is engineered for advanced test benches and cabin scale integration. Its robust build provides superior stability for validating remote control weapon systems, heavy turret assemblies, and radar arrays. This versatile system ensures precise, responsive control for demanding research environments and field ready setups.
SMOTION2500 - E6D
Payload: 2500 KG
Built to support 2500 kg, this reinforced 6DOF motion system provides an expansive base for complete vehicle shells and rigorous structural evaluation. Its strong build and superior moment of inertia deliver stable control for validating armored vehicle turrets and transport setups. This platform ensures reliable dynamic response for large scale integration engineering rigs.
Which mid-size 6DOF motion platform fits your payload?
The six models split into three chassis tiers. The 500, 800 and 1000 kg models share a 300 mm stroke and a 160 x 140 x 102 cm parked body. The 1500 and 1800 kg models share a 600 mm stroke and a 301 x 285 x 170 cm body. The 2500 kg model stands alone at 341 x 310 x 185 cm.
Crossing a tier boundary changes more than the badge on the chassis. Actuator stroke doubles from 300 mm to 600 mm, and single-axis heave widens from about 0.17 to 0.19 m to 0.40 m. The footprint grows with it, so a tier change is a room-planning decision as much as a mechanical one.
A practical order of operations works better than starting from weight. First fix the chassis tier using the motion envelope your scenario needs and the floor area you have. Then, inside that tier, choose between models on payload capacity and moment of inertia. The step from the 1000 kg model to the 1500 kg model crosses a tier boundary, so it is a step in motion envelope, not only in capacity.
Mid-size 6DOF motion platform specifications compared
The table below collects the published figures for all six models in one place. Every value is taken from the corresponding product page, and each model name links to that page so you can check the full specification sheet before you shortlist.
| sMOTION500-E6D | sMOTION800-E6D | sMOTION1000-E6D | sMOTION1500-E6D | sMOTION1800-E6D | sMOTION2500-E6D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product code | SM500-300-C01-E6D | SM800-300-C01-E6D | SM1000-300-C01-E6D | SM1500-600-C01-E6D | SM1800-600-C01-E6D | SM2500-600-C01-EP6D |
| Payload | 500 kg | 800 kg | 1000 kg | 1500 kg | 1800 kg | 2500 kg |
| Actuator stroke | 300 mm | 300 mm | 300 mm | 600 mm | 600 mm | 600 mm |
| Moment of inertia (X, Y, Z) | 250 kg·m² | 450 kg·m² | 550 kg·m² | 1200 kg·m² | 2000 kg·m² | 4000 kg·m² |
| Parked dimensions (L x W x H) | 160 x 140 x 102 cm | 160 x 140 x 102 cm | 160 x 140 x 102 cm | 301 x 285 x 170 cm | 301 x 285 x 170 cm | 341 x 310 x 185 cm |
| Heave, single axis | -0.17 / 0.16 m | -0.19 / 0.18 m | -0.17 / 0.16 m | -0.40 / 0.35 m | -0.40 / 0.35 m | -0.40 / 0.35 m |
| Roll, single axis | ±21.00° | ±21.00° | ±22.40° | ±20.60° | ±20.60° | ±20.60° |
| Pitch, single axis | -22.00 / 22.00° | -20.00 / 22.00° | -22.30 / 23.40° | -20.20 / 21.10° | -20.20 / 21.10° | -20.20 / 21.20° |
| Yaw, single axis | ±26.00° | ±22.00° | ±33.50° | ±24.00° | ±24.00° | ±24.00° |
| Yaw, multi axis | ±30.00° | ±26.00° | ±43.00° | ±26.56° | ±26.56° | ±26.56° |
| Surge / sway velocity | ±0.55 m/s | ±0.55 m/s | ±0.56 m/s | ±0.80 m/s | ±0.81 m/s | ±0.80 m/s |
| Heave velocity | ±0.45 m/s | ±0.40 m/s | ±0.51 m/s | ±0.75 m/s | ±0.64 m/s | ±0.70 m/s |
| Yaw velocity | 50°/s | 45°/s | 55°/s | 60°/s | 45°/s | 55°/s |
| Power supply | 380VAC ±10%, 3ph, 50/60 Hz | 380VAC ±10%, 3ph, 50/60 Hz | 380VAC ±10%, 3ph, 50/60 Hz | 380VAC ±10%, 3ph, 50/60 Hz | 380VAC ±10%, 3ph, 50/60 Hz | 380VAC ±10%, 3ph, 50/60 Hz |
Why payload capacity alone does not size a platform
Payload capacity tells you how much mass the platform is rated to carry. What loads the actuators during motion is how that mass is distributed: the height of the centre of gravity above the platform surface, and how far the mass sits from the axis of rotation. Two 1000 kg rigs can place very different demands on the same machine.
The mechanics are simple leverage. A display head carried on a 1 m arm has four times the moment of inertia of the same head at 0.5 m, because inertia grows with the square of the distance, and that inertia has to be accelerated and reversed on every cycle of the scenario. A cabin’s centre of gravity also rarely lands exactly over the platform centre, which leaves a standing roll and pitch moment the actuators hold continuously rather than only at the excursion limits. The effect of centre-of-gravity height on actuator force in a Stewart platform is treated in detail in Li’s work on modeling and control of a Stewart platform.
This is why payload is published next to moment of inertia on each of the six mid-size product pages: 250, 450, 550, 1200, 2000 and 4000 kg·m² across the class. When you request a quote, send the cabin or rig weight, the centre-of-gravity height and the mass distribution. The model is selected against those three numbers, not against weight by itself.
Floor space, parked height and installation planning
Parked dimensions for the three tiers are 160 x 140 x 102 cm, 301 x 285 x 170 cm and 341 x 310 x 185 cm. Required ceiling height is not the parked height: add the upward heave excursion, then the height of your cabin or rig, then service clearance above it.
Worked as a method rather than a single number: for the sMOTION2500-E6D you start at 185 cm parked height, add 0.35 m of upward heave, then add the height of the cabin sitting on the interface and the clearance your maintenance team needs overhead. The same arithmetic on the compact tier starts at 102 cm and adds 0.16 to 0.18 m of heave depending on the model. Run it with your own cabin dimensions before you commit a bay.
Electrical supply is the same across the class at 380VAC ±10%, three phase, 50/60 Hz. Send your bay dimensions and ceiling clearance with your enquiry, and the installation figures for the specific model, including platform weight and power consumption, are discussed as part of the quote.
Integrating a full-scale cabin, cockpit or mockup
The 500 to 2500 kg band is the full-scale band. These are the platforms selected to carry an instrumented cabin, an operational turret, a complete cockpit or a vehicle body, rather than a seat and a frame. A full-scale cabin on a Stewart platform normally lands somewhere in this class.
Control integration is common to all six models: UDP-based communication with the host PC, IMU-based motion feedback, and a graphical user interface for setup and manual operation. Your simulation software drives the platform from its own scenario over the UDP link, so the motion comes from the same model that generates the visuals.
Two integration patterns in this class have their own pages worth reading alongside this one: the driver-in-the-loop simulator for vehicle validation work, and flight simulators for cockpit and flight training devices.
Certification: who qualifies the training device?
A motion platform is a component of a training device, not a certified device in itself. The party that qualifies a flight simulation training device with an authority is the integrator who builds and presents the complete device, using the platform documentation as part of that submission.
What the rules ask of the motion system depends on the device and its level. Where EASA CS-FSTD(A) calls for a motion system, it sets a minimum of three degrees of freedom in pitch, roll and heave and asks for cues at least equivalent to those of a six-degree-of-freedom synergistic platform. The highest full flight simulator levels call for a six degrees of freedom motion system.
Mid-size SANLAB platforms are six-axis synergistic hexapods. If your project is heading for qualification, platform documentation and the data your submission needs are discussed as part of the quote.
Defense and test-bench applications in the 500-2500 kg range
In defense and test work this class is used as a moving bench for remote control weapon systems testing, camera tracking systems testing, electro-optical systems testing, radar testing, rotator testing, antenna testing and turret systems testing. The same platforms also run stabilization testing and vehicle, driving, flight and mockup simulators.
A moving bench does one thing well: it produces a repeatable carrier motion in the laboratory. The platform reproduces the disturbance a vehicle, ship or aircraft would impose on the mounted system, and the line-of-sight stabilization or tracking performance of that system is then measured under the same motion profile run after run. Because the profile is commanded rather than captured in the field, two design iterations can be compared against identical input. The control problem for electro-optical tracking on a moving base is described in the open literature, including this study of line-of-sight stabilization on a moving platform.
For the wider sector context, see defense applications and testing and simulation applications.
Outdoor and harsh-environment use (IP66 option)
Every model in the mid-size class is available with an IP66 outdoor option, so the platform can be specified for dust and water exposure from the start of the project.
In practice IP66 matters when the platform lives where the test lives. Dust ingress and water jets are what a platform on a proving ground, a quayside or an open test range actually meets. If your installation is outdoors or in a wash-down area, say so with your enquiry so the outdoor option is quoted from the start.
When to choose the small or the large class instead
Below 200 kg the right starting point is the small 6DOF hexapod platforms, 50 to 200 kg, and above 2500 kg it is the large 6DOF motion platforms, 3,000 to 6,000 kg. Loads above 200 kg start in this class, with the sMOTION500-E6D as the entry point, and which mid-size model fits is settled by moment of inertia, centre-of-gravity height and the motion excursions your scenario needs, not by weight alone. Those class pages list the models in each band, so compare there before deciding.
6DOF Medium Motion Platforms - FAQ
What payload range do SANLAB mid-size 6DOF motion platforms cover?
The class covers 500 kg to 2500 kg across six models: sMOTION500-E6D, sMOTION800-E6D, sMOTION1000-E6D, sMOTION1500-E6D, sMOTION1800-E6D and sMOTION2500-E6D. Below this band, look at the small class from 50 to 200 kg. Above 2500 kg, start with the large class.
My cabin weighs 1000 kg. Is the 1000 kg platform the right choice?
Not automatically. A 1000 kg cabin with a high centre of gravity may load the actuators harder than its weight suggests. Compare your rig against the published moment of inertia, 550 kg·m² for the sMOTION1000-E6D and 1200 kg·m² for the sMOTION1500-E6D, and check your required motion envelope as well: the 1000 kg model gives 300 mm stroke and roughly 0.17 m of heave, while the 1500 kg model gives 600 mm stroke and 0.40 m. Send us the weight, the centre-of-gravity height and the mass distribution and the model is selected against all three.
What is the difference between sMOTION1500-E6D and sMOTION1800-E6D?
Their parked dimensions and single-axis excursions are identical: the same 301 x 285 x 170 cm body, the same 600 mm stroke, the same heave, roll, pitch and yaw figures. The difference is capacity and dynamics. Payload goes from 1500 to 1800 kg, moment of inertia from 1200 to 2000 kg·m², and angular rates come down, with roll and pitch at 52°/s and 52°/s on the 1500 kg model against 37°/s and 35°/s on the 1800 kg model. It is the same motion volume carrying more mass.
How much floor space and ceiling height does installation require?
Parked footprints are 160 x 140 cm for the compact tier, 301 x 285 cm for the mid tier and 341 x 310 cm for the 2500 kg model, with parked heights of 102, 170 and 185 cm. For ceiling height, add the upward heave excursion to the parked height, then your cabin height, then overhead service clearance. Supply is 380VAC ±10%, three phase, 50/60 Hz on all six models.
Can these platforms be used outdoors or in dusty and wet conditions?
Yes. Every mid-size model is available with an IP66 outdoor option. IP66 protects against dust ingress and powerful water jets, which is what a proving ground, a quayside or an open test range exposes a platform to. Tell us at enquiry stage whether the platform will be installed outdoors so the outdoor option is included in the quote.
Can a qualified flight training device be built on a mid-size platform?
The device is qualified by the integrator who builds it, not by the platform on its own. Where EASA CS-FSTD(A) calls for a motion system, it asks for cues at least equivalent to those of a six-degree-of-freedom synergistic platform, and mid-size SANLAB platforms are six-axis synergistic hexapods. Platform documentation for your submission is discussed as part of the quote.
Tell us what you need to move, and model selection starts from there. Request a quote for your cabin or test rig and include four things: the weight of the cabin or test rig, the height of its centre of gravity, the motion excursions your scenario needs, and whether the platform will be installed indoors or outdoors. Those four answers are enough to narrow the class to one or two models.
