What is a piezo actuator?
A piezo actuator is a well-established phenomenon in which a small voltage passes across a crystal such as quartz causing it to change shape that is to expand or contract. Conversely, pressure on the crystal induces a voltage that can be measured. The piezoelectric phenomena has been known since 1880, but it is only during the past 10 to 20 years that it has been developed commercially, apart from a few earlier high volume applications such as phone-cartridges and filter elements. [Click for large animation] Cedrat Technologies commenced operating in this field back in 1989 by carrying out research and development into piezo electric actuators. The positive results during the first years made it possible to propose the use of piezo actuators both for the French Space Agency (CNES) and ESA. CNES funded a prototype for the development of amplified piezo actuators and linear piezo motors. ESA funded the XYZ piezo scanning mechanism for the Rosetta MIDAS (Micro-Imaging Dust Analysis System
