Piezoelectric Spindle Drives

This paper presents two types of piezoelectric motors in which the friction contact takes the form of a threaded connection. The driven element of the motor is a threaded shaft or spindle. The piezoceramic stator of the drive also contains a threaded contact element, which is in operative contact with the spindle. The stator is piezoelectrically excited to oscillate. The mechanical energy of the stator is transmitted to the spindle through the contact element, causing rotary and linear movement of the spindle. Drives with inertial and ultrasonic operating principles are shown and compared with each other. The vibration behavior of their motors is illustrated with FEM simulations.