In several fields (optics, space, aircraft, fluid control, biomedical, and manufacturing) there is a strong need for compact, robust and efficient positioning mechanisms that also offer high precision, short response times, low power consumption, low electromagnetic interference and multiple degrees of freedom. Piezoelectric actuators are generally good candidates for building such mechanisms. The products manufactured by Cedrat Recherche SA are piezoelectric actuators offering compact size, high deformation (up to 1%) and high stiffness. These actuators have successfully passed different qualification tests (air and space qualification, lifetime tests). They can easily be integrated in applications, as shown by examples of mechanisms taken from various fields: a super amplified actuator for a MRI biomedical device, a tip-tilt for mirrors, a chopper for X-ray diffraction, a helicopter flap mechanism and an XYZ stage for the AFM microscope of the MIDAS instrument of the ESA ROSETTA space mission.

Date Published: 14 June 2001
PDF: 9 pages
Proc. SPIE 4332, Smart Structures and Materials 2001: Industrial and Commercial Applications of Smart Structures Technologies, (14 June 2001); doi: 10.1117/12.429660

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 4332:
Smart Structures and Materials 2001: Industrial and Commercial Applications of Smart Structures Technologies
Anna-Maria Rivas McGowan, Editor(s)