Home/Technical Glossary/Rotary Stages Rotary Stages “Stages” as applied to motion in a mechanical system are generally referred to by X, XY, XYZ and rotary. The basic function of a stage is to constrain motion to a defined direction. Motorized rotary stages are used to precisely position objects around a rotation (circular) axis. Motorized rotary stages are particularly suited to laser cutting, laser welding or laser marking applications on tubes, cylinders, or odd-shaped packages.