Latest research on piezomotors at the University of Leuven, Belgium

The Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Leuven started its research on piezoelectrically actuated positioning systems in the middle of the 90’s. This continuous effort resulted in the development of the linear Leuven piezomotor and a novel modeling approach to predict the dynamics and wear behavior of ultrasonic motors. Both were presented at IWPMA 2008. The unique stator design of the Leuven motor offers two main operational modes: a resonant (ultrasonic) mode and a direct mode. The resonant mode offers a wide speed range (< 100 nm/s to > 100 mm/s) and sub-micron accuracy over a large stroke. The direct mode offers (sub-)nanometer resolution within a stroke of several micrometers. Additionally, a traditional stick-slip mode can be used. As such, the Leuven motor can be regarded as an all-in-one small-size coarse/fine positioning device. The motor can also be used in rotational applications. Current work focuses on further exploring the performance limits of the Leuven motor in linear configurations, and increasing robustness (both mechanically and electrically). This is done by extensive experiments on new setups, and supported by modeling techniques based on e.g. failure mechanics. During IWPMA 2009, the latest results will be presented.status: publishe