Cedrat Technologies, innovation in mechatronics

Piezoelectric actuators have increased their number of application in adaptronics over the past decade [1]. They can be used with several drive and control strategies and they are more adapted to mechatronics applications requiring bandwidth, accuracy and/or lightweightness. The purpose of this paper is to recall the different existing piezo actuators, the different drive and control techniques and finally review several applications in machine tools, optics.

Sample preparation and sample handling are among the most critical operations associated with X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. These operations require attention in a laboratory environment, but they become a major constraint in the deployment of XRD instruments for robotic planetary exploration. We are developing a novel sample handling system that dramatically relaxes the constraints on sample preparation by allowing characterization of coarsegrained material that would normally be impossible to analyze with conventional powder-XRD techniques.

Successful commissioning of the first flight application for C. T. in ESA / ROSETTA mission. The ROSETTA satellite has been successfully launched the 2nd of March 2004 from Kourou, French Guyana, using an Ariane-5 G+ launcher. The rendezvous with the new targeted comet “Churyumov - Gerasimenko” is expected in November 2014.

In the context of a more electrical aircraft, in order to explore the feasibility of non usual solutions, electro-fluidic components based on smart materials and new Electro-Hydraulic-Actuators (EHA) concepts, based on active valves and magnetostrictive vibrating pump, have been studied. Active valves based on different magnetostrictive and piezoelectric actuators have been designed, realised, tested and compared. The magnetostrictive version uses a new Amplified Magnetostrictive Actuator (AMA) based on a stack of Giant Magnetostrictive Materials (GMM) and placed inside an elliptical amplification ring.

A moving coil actuator for high precision positioning and compatible with space technology specifications has been designed and successfully tested. General space technology requirements are the use of no degassing material, no lubrication, low mechanic time constant, low electrical power consumption, and thermal energy evacuation through radiating and conducting exchanges (no convection because of operation in vacuum environment). These specifications have been accounted in the design, the realisation and the test of a successful prototype: Thanks to a good design of thermal drains, the actuator presents a high force versus weight ratio.

Piezoelectric actuators find their first applications in active space optics. The purpose of this paper is to describe the state of the art and some applications. Piezo actuators display attractive features for space applications, such as precise positioning, unlubricated, non magnetic and compact features, and low power consumption. However, piezo mechanisms cannot be considered separately from their driving and control electronic.

A tool adaptor with built-in active vibration damping device to dynamically stabilize the turning process is presented in this paper. It can be used in standard CNC-lathes and allows the usage of off-the-shelf tool heads. The vibration compensation system is based on a multilayer piezoactuator that is in collocation with a piezoelectric force sensor. An analogue controller based on the integral force feedback method is used for active damping.