Development of rotary actuator using piezolelectric element

This paper proposes a two-DOF (degree-of-freedom) positioning stage. The stage provides nano scales planar motion along the X axis and rotational motion along the Z axis. The rotation can be controlled in both directions (clockwise and anticlockwise) and the rotation angle is not limited. The stage is based on a compliant mechanism with flexure hinges and the two piezoelectric elements which are used as motion excitation sources. The SIDM (Smooth Impact Driving Mechanism) is applied for rotation motion. To evaluate the designed stage, the finite element analysis was applied by means of commercial software ANSYS. A real prototype of the designed stage was manufactured. In order to evaluate the stage dynamic behavior, a series of experiments were carried out.