Targeted acoustic positioning of various objects

Inhalt:
The precise positioning of objects (especially on a flat surface), is crucial in numerous industrial applications, from large object movement in machine tools to precise alignment in optical microscopes. This paper focuses on targeted movement and positioning of smaller objects on a flat surface using piezoelectric actuators. Specifically, it investigates the stick-slip motor principle for achieving high-speed transport and high-resolution positioning. The stick-slip motor utilizes the friction between objects and surfaces to generate motion. The experimental setup includes a piezoelectric actuator inducing asymmetric vibrations in a glass plate (stator), resulting in controlled movement of a slider (the object). An asymmetrical excitation signal, generated by superimposing two sinusoidal waves, is applied to the piezoelectric actuator. The influence of the different parameters of the excitation signal on the object speed is examined in more detail. The results demonstrate successful movement and precise positioning of various objects. It concludes that the developed stick-slip motor can efficiently move objects of different materials and sizes, offering a versatile solution for precise object positioning in confined spaces.