Design and control of a novel piezoelectric drive module for application in a multi-DOF positioning stage

Recent advances in measurement systems and machine tools require positioning systems that combine high stiffness with a high positioning accuracy. Moreover, a high positioning speed is favourable. Current solutions of multi-DOF positioning systems are often based on a stacked construction of linear systems consisting of an electromechanical drive, a transmission and a linear guiding system. Due to the series connection of components the resulting stiffness is diminished and the positioning errors are accumulated. However, by integrating the bearing, transmission and drive functions into a multi-DOF positioning system, an accurate and at the same time rigid positioning system can be achieved. This paper presents the design of the piezoelectric drive modules which will be integrated into the proposed multi-DOF positioning system. Due to the different operation modes of the module, a maximum speed of 0.3m/s can be achieved, while a positioning resolution of 10nm is shown. It is also shown that due to an alternative control strategy, an accurate control of the drive modules is possible.