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Rotary piezomotor has built-in encoder
PiezoMotor, the Swedish developer of piezoelectric-powered motors and actuators, has developed a 17mm-diameter piezo motor with a built-in absolute encoder.
The motor builds on the earlier Piezo Legs rotary motor series and is the first step in a long-term plan by the company to broaden its range of piezo-based rotary motors. It says it has seen a “significant” increase in sales of these motors.
The new LR17 motor is PiezoMotor’s smallest rotary piezo motor to date, and the first in a new series with integrated absolute encoders. Despite its small size, the motor can develop a stall torque of 30mNm without any backlash. Conventional motors of a similar size can reach these torque levels only by adding a gearhead, which makes them bigger and introduces backlash.
The motor is based a friction drive technique that results in self-locking characteristics, allowing the motor to hold its position without consuming any power. The 15-bit magnetic encoder gives a closed-loop resolution of 0.2 milliradians (0.01 degrees), while the motor delivers sub-micro-radian resolution in open-loop operation.
“The LR17 is the first motor in a series of four different sizes,” says PiezoMotor’s sales and development manager, Anders Larsson. “It allows our customers to have a very compact motion solution including sensor for easy integration. The Piezo Legs technology makes it possible to continue improving existing customer design when conventional motor technology has reached their limit.”
• The new motor is available in the available in the UK from Electro Mechanical Systems.
