Photonics and biotech benefit from piezo actuators

PI's flexure-based piezo actuators like the P-601 provide up to ten times the travel ranges of classical piezo stack actuators in a low profile package with virtually unlimited resolution and lifetime

The stiff construction allows for fast response with rise times much shorter than one millisecond.

The design involves no friction, no lubricants and no wear.

Because of the many advantages over motor/leadscrew-driven positioners, more and more flexure actuators are used in fast-focusing mechanisms and for other precision positioning tasks, ranging from data storage to pharmaceutical and biotech applications.

In life science applications, piezo actuators can be used for micro-dispensing and valve control applications, or for scanning and fast optical adjustments in drug screening apparatus.

Typical applications include medical instrumentation, nanotechnology, clean room micro-manufacturing, auto focus, high throughput screening, micro-dispensing, high-speed valve control, nanolitre pumps, laser and spectrometer tuning.

The lifetime of the actuators depends mainly on the integrated piezo-ceramic motion engine.

Here, the latest ceramic encapsulated low-voltage multilayer piezo stacks provide protection from humidity and moisture, and deliver up to ten times longer service life than the still widely used epoxy-coated multilayer piezo stacks.

A preload protects the ceramics from tension forces during dynamic positioning.

The latest flexure actuators already incorporate a precision frictionless guiding mechanism.

When integrating the actuators into a positioning system, no extra linear bearings or roller bearings are needed, saving further cost and space.

Piezo flexure actuators require no lubricants, and if ceramic encapsulated piezo ceramics are used (no outgassing / high bakeout temperatures) they are ideal for ultra-high-vacuum applications.

Non magnetic designs are also available.

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