PI Ceramic Nominated for the Thuringian Innovation Award: New Piezo Stepping Actuators in the Top Three

(pressebox) Karlsruhe, 25.01.2010 – Lowcost solutions with micrometer range positioning accuracies are required for tasks such as setting valves, adjusting components for further processing, and pickandplace.

The Thuringian Innovation Award took place for the 12th time in December 2009. The award, which has been established in 1994, has become both an impulse generator for the Free State of Thuringia and a mirror of its successful economic development. PI Ceramic from Lederhose was nominated out of more than 100 candidates in the categorie “Industry & Material” for their piezo stepping drive of the Nexact series. With this technology, the company came in the top tree of all candidates. Even though a different company, a company who developed a drive technology concept for the automobile industry, won the award, the nomination itself is an outstanding achievement for such a small ceramic.
High-resolution linear drive for travel ranges of up to 20 mm and holding forces of up to 10 N

A ceramic that can change the world of precision positioning.

The piezo ceramic stepping drives are a practical alternative to DC or stepper motors that are used in many applications. They offer resolutions better than 1 nm (0.001 µm) and that for unlimited travel ranges. To achieve these qualities longitudinal and shear piezos, i.e. piezo actuators with different motion qualities, were combined. When using specific controls, clamping as well as push motions are possible that remind of the movement of a quadruped. With that, the load can be moved at uniform speed along the entire travel range.

In the same way, can the position be actively adjusted even after reaching the target position. And with that, oscillations can, for example, be compensated. Since the drives have no moving parts, such as gearhead or spindel, no mechanical play or wear out exist. Applications for this drive already exist in the semiconductor industry, in astronomy and for adjusting probes in microscopy.

www.physikinstrumente.de