Flexure-based actuators offer larger ranges
A
PI (Physik Instrumente) product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Jan 9, 2008
More and more flexure actuators are used in fast-focusing mechanisms and for other precision positioning tasks, ranging from data storage to pharmaceutical and biotech applications.
Piezo specialist PI's flexure-based piezo actuators such as the P-601 series provide up to 10x larger travel ranges than classical piezo stack actuators a in low profile package, with virtually unlimited resolution and lifetime.
The stiff construction allows for fast response with rise times much shorter than 1ms.
The design involves no friction, no lubricants and no wear.
Because of the many advantages over motor/leadscrew-driven positioners, more and more flexure actuators are used in fast-focusing mechanisms and for other precision positioning tasks, ranging from data storage to pharmaceutical and biotech applications.
In life science applications, piezo actuators can be used for microdispensing and valve control applications, or for scanning and fast optical adjustments in drug screening apparatus.
The lifetime of the actuators depends mainly on the integrated piezo-ceramic "motion engine".
Here, the latest ceramic encapsulated low-voltage multilayer piezo stacks provide protection from humidity and moisture, and deliver up to 10x longer service life than the still widely used epoxy-coated multilayer piezo stacks.
A preload protects the ceramics from tension forces during dynamic positioning.
The latest flexure actuators already incorporate a precision frictionless guiding mechanism.
When integrating the actuators into a positioning system, no extra linear bearings or roller bearings are needed, saving further cost and space.
Piezo flexure actuators require no lubricants, and if ceramic encapsulated piezo ceramics are used (no outgasing/high bakeout temperatures) they are ideal for ultra-high-vacuum applications.
Nonmagnetic designs are also available.
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