One application for a DEAP actuators is in micro-positioning systems. There are currently many micro-positioning systems on the market, most of which use piezoelectric actuators to drive flexure stages. These actuators have high speed (up to MHz-range) and force (approx. 30 N/mm²), but low stroke (0.1 to 0.15% of actuator length) [1]. Amplification systems are needed to boost the stroke. These amplification systems can add undesired volume and weight to the system. DEAPs however are capable of large actuation stroke (mm-range) and can be scaled to meet the desired micro-positioning application. Higher forces can also be generated by stacking DEAP actuators. Here in this work two circular DEAP actuators are used to drive a one-directional flexure system. This is a generic system and can be used for example in scanning and position control. The DEAPs are coupled antagonistically and provide push-pull forces on the custom built compliant stage. This work focuses on the design, fabrication, experimentation and control of the system. The system was identified and feed forward control was implemented. The unloaded stage was capable of closely following triangle trajectories of ±200 μm at 1 Hz and ±40 μm at frequencies of 60 Hz. The maximum error was ±5 μm and as low as ±2 μm.
2 Parker Hannifin Corp.