A newly developed rotary-linear motion platform with a giant magnetostrictive actuator

Demands for machining and measuring three-dimensional geometries have recently increased in a variety of industries. In order to meet such demands, it is necessary to develop a compact versatile high performance spindle system. This paper presents a newly developed rotary motion platform combined with a linear motion mechanism driven by a giant magnetostrictive actuator. The developed platform can be characterized by a compact structure, a noncontact structure, and high accuracy. Performance evaluation results confirm that the developed platform provides precise linear motion during rotating.