![]() ![]() Commercial advantages of this technology include higher product uniformity, which opens up the possibility for high-volume and low-cost manufacture. State-of-the-art ceramic layer thickness is as small as 10 µm, giving options to design components of various operating voltages. Ceramic layers that are up to 10 times thinner mean that the operating voltage needed to obtain the equivalent electric-field strength and strain in the actuator can be reduced by a factor of 10. This multilayer technology offers the major advantage of flexibility of component design (enabling much thinner ceramic layers, a customized internal electrode structure, and processing of a variety of forms and shapes). More-efficient ways of making actuator components smaller and more able to comply with modern standards have since been developed, with co-fired multilayer ceramic technology the preferred method (see Fig. However, this approach has several disadvantages-principally, high operating voltages (in the 500- to 1000-V range) and large size-although it provides good piezoelectric-actuator properties. External connectors enabling the activation of all the actuator elements are then used to connect all of the ground and positive electrodes. During this process, the electric dipoles align and respond collectively to subsequent smaller field changes.įor many years, piezoelectric actuators have been manufactured by stacking a large number of very thin (0.2-mm) piezoelectric discs, with copper shims in between each disc to act as ground and positive electrodes to opposite sides of the actuator stack. This ceramic material must be polarized to exhibit piezoelectric properties-this involves heating the crystal to a temperature beyond which the electric dipoles are randomly arranged while being subjected to an electric field. The most common form of piezoceramic used today is based on lead zirconate titanate (PZT). The deformation is proportional to the applied electric field it is this change in shape that is useful when producing small motions required for both micro- and nanopositioning devices.Īlthough the piezoelectric effect is small in naturally occurring crystals, current materials technology has produced a range of ceramics that can deliver linear extensions of up to 0.15%-for example, on the order of 150 µm for a device 100 mm long. ![]() This effect is known as the indirect piezoelectric effect. Conversely, the application of an electric field to a piezoelectric crystal leads to a physical deformation of the crystal. This effect is known as the direct piezoelectric effect. The rise of co-fired multilayer technologyĬertain crystals (for example, quartz) develop an electric charge (and in the case of a closed circuit, a current) when exposed to mechanical stress. In applying this technology, engineers must design motion-feedback mechanisms so that voltage can be regulated to create the exact movement required. Piezoelectric actuators can give the same performance from a smaller component, produce higher-resolution movement, and require a lower operating voltage than other types of micropositioning technologies. Piezoelectric devices have several advantages over traditional motion-control devices, and also present design challenges for engineers trying to take advantage of this technology. ![]() Superior lifetime of our actuators is guaranteed with the patented ceramic-encapsulated multilayer production process.After several decades of research and development, piezoelectric actuators have evolved from their infancy stage in laboratories to use in mass-production industrial applications. ![]() This group is specialized in research, design and manufacture of piezo materials and components for motion control. We currently employ 180 staff at our piezo ceramics division " PI Ceramic". PI offers the largest selection of standard and custom piezo actuators and engineered subassemblies. They provide efficient force generation because no conversion from rotary to linear motion and no gears or mechanical other parts that require maintenance or lubrication are involved. Piezoelectric actuators (also known as piezo transducers, or piezo translators) are based on the piezoelectric effect and convert electrical energy directly into linear motion with virtually unlimited resolution. ![]()
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