Design of a linear piezomotor with ultra-high stiffness and nanoprecision

An ultra-stiff nanoprecision linear piezomotor was recently designed for gr inding application. This piezomotor consists of three high-voltage piezoele ctric actuators integrated by a monolithic flexure frame. This monolithic f rame was designed to have multiple functions such as protecting and preload ing three piezoelectric actuators and withstanding all the shearing forces during operation. The monolithic frame as a motion mechanism eliminates the backlash problem. The stiffness distributions in certain directions over t he frame were designed using the finite-element method.