Experimental development of a one-degree-of-freedom controlled magnetic linear bearing

We describe the architecture of a magnetic linear bearing with active control in only one direction, namely, the transverse direction of a moving table. The motions in the remaining directions, except the transverse direction, are restricted only by the action of permanent magnets. A control system composed of two electromagnets, a gap sensor, and a controller, keeps the table in a fixed transverse position. We explain the principle, the dynamic model for controlled direction, and the control system for the bearing. Finally, we describe experiments conducted on a prototype that show the effectiveness of the bearing architecture.