This paper presents a new 2-DOF “SMACbot” manipulator which can cooperate with a 2-DOF planar “courier” robot to perform precise assembly tasks within a minifactory. The SMACbot manipulator augments the function of an off-the-shelf rotary/linear actuator from SMAC Corporation. The mechanical and electrical systems of SMACbot are described, and the sensing and control of the manipulator are introduced. Novel features include a vacuum system for compensating the vertical axis weight of the SMACbot and an air bearing system for minimizing friction. The SMACbot utilizes a remote user interface based on web sockets. Basic motion control performance of the SMACbot was measured with a laser interferometer to provide ground truth. The vertical (z-direction) 5 mm fixed distance motion repeatability test results showed the average error is 8.4 µm. The 10 µm small distance motion error is approximately 0.3 µm. The 0.5 ° fixed angle rotation motion repeatability error is approximately 0.12 ° which is mainly caused by the backlash of the reduction gearing of the SMAC rotational (θ) axis.