Improvement of Linear and Rotative Stepping Piezo Actuators Using Design and Control

Stepping Piezo Actuators (SPA) are inertial piezo motors able to reach long stroke with important resolution. Previous work showed that large benefits in terms of speed and input current are taken from use of Amplified Piezo Actuators (APA ® ). The aim of this paper is to present new rotative configuration, advancements in maximal actuation force into thermal vacuum conditions and improvements using smart control. The paper firstly settles the operating principle of the motors in linear but also in rotative way. Then, various configurations are compared and realisations are presented, from low volume rotating solution to high force motor compatible with vacuum and low temperature (down to -180°C). Results obtained by the European Space and Tribology Laboratory (ESTL) are thus exposed. Finally, smart control of SPA, allowing optimisation of performances using Autotune function integrated into dedicated Stepping Piezo Controller SPC45, is detailed.