Comparison of Piezo Stack Actuators with Traditional Actuators
The idea behind piezo actuators is ingeniously simple and extremely effective. The actuators consist of an active material that expands in an electric field. A simple piezo body is therefore already an actuator. Conventional actuators, on the other hand, consist of many parts and require a wear-prone mechanism.
Simply, Piezo is the best actuator technology for displacement of less than 400 µm / 20 mil
- Minimal installation space, Requires only a few cubic millimeters.
- High forces. Can carry loads of up to several tons, with a force density of up to 4.000 N per cm².
- Extremely fast. Piezo actuators can react with the speed of sound. Ten µs rise time, bandwidth up to the ultrasonic range, extremely high accelerations,
- Nano-precise positioning
- High stiffness. Acts as a structural component, the exact opposite of electromagnets.
- Low energy consumption. Extremely efficient.
- Scalable in size: From a few millimeters up to 400 mm in height.
- Long service life. Tested with more than 10 billion motion cycles.
- Multifunctionality. Acts as an actuator as well as a sensor for force, pressure and acceleration.
Our piezo stack actuators are used in a variety of industries
- Industrial Automation: Optimize your manufacturing processes with precise and reliable motion control.
- Sciences: Increase the accuracy of your scientific instruments and studies.
- Optics, Laser, Nanotechnology: Rely on our technology for applications requiring the highest precision and stability.
- Optical Inspection in Semiconductor Fabrication: Enhance the accuracy and efficiency of optical inspection systems in semiconductor manufacturing.
Case Study: A leading company in the automation sector significantly improved both the size and power consumption of the hydraulics in a maintenance robot by replacing its conventional solenoids with piezo actuators to drive the valves. The robot is now much smaller and can operate with Li-batteries. It can function autonomously in remote areas without the need for long power supply cables.