Design, analysis, and control of a novel linear actuator

The main objective of this paper is to develop a linear actuator for an accurate position control with a high force-to-mass ratio. A novel configuration is developed that has a double-sided NdFeB stator and a printed-circuit moving armature. A design methodology is presented, which is based upon the finite-element method magnetic-circuit analysis, and a simulation software for performance predictions. The latter is developed in a VisSim environment. For design optimization, a new criteria are introduced. A hardware-in-the loop control technique is developed and applied to the designed motor. Micrometer position accuracy is achieved experimentally. It is shown that the computational and experimental performance values are in good agreement