New linear piezomotors for high force/precise positioning applications

To meet the specifications of an aerospace application, the authors developed a new design of linear piezomotors (LPMs). The first prototype they built shows very promising results, and makes the LPM a serious candidate to replace conventional stepper motors. The LPM features the following characteristics: a standing force of 100 N, a blocked force of 37 N, a maximum actuation speed of 23 mm/s, a maximum run of 10 mm, a mass of 500 g, an electrical power of 2.2 W, and a position accuracy superior to 1 /spl mu/m. To their knowledge, the driving force delivered by the LPM has never before been achieved in resonant devices. This paper describes the physical operating principles of the LPM, as well as the modeling tools and experimental techniques they used for its development. Several implementation schemes are also presented and show the wide range of possible applications offered by the linear piezomotor.