Piezoelectric Motor - Current Designs

Current Designs

Motors are made in both linear and rotary types.

Of these, one drive technique is to use piezoelectric ceramics to push a stator. These piezoelectric motors use three groups of crystals: two of which are Locking and one Motive, permanently connected to either the motor's casing or stator (not both) and sandwiched between the other two, which provides the motion. These piezoelectric motors are fundamentally stepping motors, with each step comprising either two or three actions, based on the locking type. Another mechanism employs the use of surface acoustic waves (SAW) to generate linear or rotational motion.

A second drive technique is illustrated by the Squiggle motor, in which piezoelectric elements are bonded orthogonally to a nut and their ultrasonic vibrations rotate and translate a central lead screw. This is a direct drive mechanism.