Piezoelectric actuators in micropositioning

Micromachines can be built only with the aid of other machines that have micropositioning abilities. Fast and precise positioning devices are needed to increase reliability and speed in the production of the miniaturized devices. Intensive research effort has been devoted to developing new technologies for actuators and sensors. A wide range of technologies is now available and it is not possible to say that one is the best: rather there is a best choice for each application. Piezoelectric actuators are a well assessed technology and have already proven to offer good speed, precision and low power consumption characteristics. In this article, a small selection of new designs of piezoactuators is reviewed together with their applications