A New Type of Mechanical Transformer with High Stroke Magnification Ratio

The stacked PZT actuators are widely used in precision equipments. In this paper, a new type of mechanical magnifier incorporated with stacked PZT, which we brand it as MechaTrans is proposed. It is a two-step magnification mechanism and is capable of performing precise and high speed linear motion. 30 types of MechaTrans are commercialised. We have confirmed that the stroke is magnified up to sixteen hundred micrometers (1600 m), which is 60 times of the original stacked PZT stroke. Under a practical operation condition of an industrial application, the operated cycles of the MechaTrans have already exceeded 1 billion cycles, and it is still operating in well condition. As another feature, MechaTrans is capable of performing high speed linear motion. They have been successfully applied to several industrial applications. Besides, they are going to be applied to agriculture, consumer, and medical fields.