Development of a Linear Piezoelectric Microactuator Inspired by the Hollowing Art

Microactuators have been playing crucial roles in micromachine technologies because of their small sizes and light weights. The piezoelectric actuation is one of the most important driving methods to perform the motion output with miniature structures. The rotary piezoelectric microactuators are relatively mature, whereas the linear ones need to be further developed. Inspired by the hollowing art, a novel linear piezoelectric microactuator with miniature dimensions of 7.4 mm × 7.4 mm × 10 mm is proposed, which is designed to be an integrated hollow structure without a guide rail and can achieve bidirectional standing-wave drive. The bidirectional motions are achieved by the same first-order bending vibrations of two pairs of thin-walled beams, respectively, which are conducive to the consistency of the forward and backward motions indicate that the maximum velocity, resolution, and maximum thrust force achieved in the forward motion are 19.06 mm/s, 0.3
μ
m, and 17.45 mN, respectively, whereas those in the backward motion are 16.92 mm/s, 0.45
μ
m, and 15.28 mN, respectively. The design inspired by the hollowing art has the potential to be an effective and alternative solution for the development of linear piezoelectric microactuators.