High Speed Piezo Actuators for Micro- and Nano-Dispensing
Highest repetition rates, reliable operation, and customizable design are strengths of PI’s newest piezo ceramic actuators.
Auburn, MA - PI, a global leader in piezo technology and motion control, offers high-speed actuators for micro- and nano-dispensing applications. Both standard and custom-designed actuators are available. All actuators are based on PI's in-house manufactured PICMA® piezoceramic drives. These drives are extremely reliable and underwent 100 billion cycles during life cycle testing by NASA before being employed on the Mars Mission.
PI's dispensing actuators are available as bare piezo stacks and in highly customized forms with motion amplifiers and integrated sensors. Standard stacks provide a travel range of 30µm, and motion-amplified actuators can reach hundreds of microns while still providing sub-millisecond responsiveness.
Why Nano-Dispensing?
Accurate dispensing of bio-medical substances or highly viscous liquids, like sealants, glues, or solder pastes, can boost the efficiency of production lines while meeting the quality demands of small-scale components. Piezo-driven mechanisms excel in this role: they produce rapid, dynamic actions coupled with considerable force. his makes them exceptionally apt for valve-actuation or the non-contact distribution of ultra-fine droplets, enabling consistent quality and highest throughput.
Why Ultrafast Piezo Technology?
Piezoceramic actuators are renowned for their rapid response times and are capable of dynamic movements at frequencies up to several kHz, with motion resolution down to the sub-nanometer range. Their motion is based on molecular effects, and the solid-state design excludes traditional moving parts and gears, rendering them maintenance-free. This is only one of the advantages stemming from the inverse piezoelectric effect in their crystalline structure, which operates without any friction-inducing elements. Piezo actuators are also notably energy-efficient, as they do not consume electricity when idle. Such features make them highly adaptable for a variety of applications. For example, in process technology, they facilitate quick dosing cycles, offering finely adjustable and precisely controllable travel ranges essential for dosing processes.
More information on high-speed dispensing actuators
Featured Product
uEye XC AUTOMATICALLY PERFECT IMAGES
Combining the ease of use of a webcam with the performance and reliability of an industrial camera? The uEye XC autofocus camera from IDS Imaging Development Systems proves that this is possible. Its high-resolution imaging, simple setup and adaptability make it an invaluable tool for improving quality control and streamlining workflows in industrial settings - especially for cases where users would normally employ a webcam. The uEye XC autofocus camera features a 13 MP onsemi sensor and supports two different protocols: USB3 Vision, which enables programmability and customization, and UVC (USB Video Class). The UVC functionality enables a single cable connection for easy setup and commissioning, while delivering high-resolution images and video. This makes the uEye XC camera an ideal option for applications that require quick setup and need to manage variable object distances. Additional features such as digital zoom, automatic white balance and color correction ensure precise detail capture, which is essential for quality control.
