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Actuators
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MEMS-based Actuators
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MEMS-based Actuators

A special issue of Actuators (ISSN 2076-0825).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2017) | Viewed by 51586

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Jose Luis Sanchez-Rojas

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Microsystems, Actuators and Sensors Lab, INAMOL-Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, 45071 Toledo, Spain
Interests: MEMS/NEMS; piezoelectric microsystems; integrated sensors and transducers; miniaturization of instrumentation for applications in chemistry; food technology; robotics; biotechnology and IoT
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In this Special Issue, a wide range of topics will be covered, including the design, fabrication, characterization, packaging and system integration or final applications of Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) and Nano-Electro-Mechanical Systems (NEMS)-based actuators. Furthermore, basic, as well as more application-oriented research topics, are considered, such as:

  • Material research oriented to actuator microsystems: polymers, organic materials, piezoelectric materials, nitrides, shape memory alloys, thermoelectric materials, other functional thin film materials, thick and thin films.
  • Processes and fabrication technologies for MEMS and miniaturized actuator systems: deposition techniques, lithography, etching and ablation techniques, hybrid technologies, inkjet or 3D printing.
  • Functional surfaces in actuator microdevices: hydrophobic/hydrophilic functionalization, tribological functions, biomimetic surfaces.
  • Modelling and simulation of actuator microsystems from packaged systems down to device level, and CAD tools.
  • Electrostatic, piezoelectric, mechanical, thermal, acoustic, magnetic or any physical actuation principles.
  • Optical MEMS (MOEMS), optoelectronic actuators.
  • Chemical and bioactuators, and artificial muscles.
  • Calibration, characterization and testing techniques for MEMS-based actuators.
  • Reliability, failure analysis, degradation mechanisms, life time prediction.
  • System integration, interface electronics, packaging and assembly, 3D integration techniques, micromechatronics and microrobotics.
  • Applications and markets, monitoring, control and measurement systems based on miniaturized/microactuators.

Prof. Dr. Jose Luis Sanchez-Rojas
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Actuators is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Materials for MEMS actuators
  • Processes and fabrication of microactuators
  • Modelling and simulation
  • Actuation principles
  • Characterization and testing techniques for MEMS-based actuators
  • Final applications of miniaturized or micro-actuator devices and systems

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

2174 KiB  
Article
Quantification of Force and Torque Applied by a High-Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging System on an Ultrasonic Motor for MRI-Guided Robot-Assisted Interventions
by Peyman Shokrollahi, James M. Drake and Andrew A. Goldenberg
Actuators 2017, 6(4), 29; https://doi.org/10.3390/act6040029 - 30 Sep 2017
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 6549
Abstract
The risk of accidental dislodgement of robot-operated surgical mechanisms can lead to morbidity or mortality. The force and torque applied by a 3.0-tesla scanner on an ultrasonic motor are not fully known. The force and torque may displace the motor, which is not [...] Read more.
The risk of accidental dislodgement of robot-operated surgical mechanisms can lead to morbidity or mortality. The force and torque applied by a 3.0-tesla scanner on an ultrasonic motor are not fully known. The force and torque may displace the motor, which is not fully magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-compatible but can be safely used in MR environments. A suspension apparatus was designed to measure the angles of deflection and rotation applied to the motor by MR magnetic fields. Three orientations and two power states of the motor were assessed inside the MR bore. The displacement force and torque were measured at eight locations with respect to the bore. The displacement force on the motor from 10 cm outside the magnet bore to 20 cm inside the bore ranged from 3 to 7 gF. The experimental measurements are in agreement with the theoretical values. Running the motor altered the force by 1 gF. The force does not significantly change when the MRI scanner is on. Considerable displacement force is applied to the motor, and no deflection torque is observed. Quantified values can be used to solve dynamic equations for robotic mechanisms intended for MRI-guided operations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue MEMS-based Actuators)
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3767 KiB  
Article
Design and Characterization of In-Plane Piezoelectric Microactuators
by Javier Toledo, Victor Ruiz-Díez, Alex Diaz-Molina, David Ruiz, Alberto Donoso, José Carlos Bellido, Elisabeth Wistrela, Martin Kucera, Ulrich Schmid, Jorge Hernando-García and José Luis Sánchez-Rojas
Actuators 2017, 6(2), 19; https://doi.org/10.3390/act6020019 - 3 Jun 2017
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 9332
Abstract
In this paper, two different piezoelectric microactuator designs are studied. The corresponding devices were designed for optimal in-plane displacements and different high flexibilities, proven by electrical and optical characterization. Both actuators presented two dominant vibrational modes in the frequency range below 1 MHz: [...] Read more.
In this paper, two different piezoelectric microactuator designs are studied. The corresponding devices were designed for optimal in-plane displacements and different high flexibilities, proven by electrical and optical characterization. Both actuators presented two dominant vibrational modes in the frequency range below 1 MHz: an out-of-plane bending and an in-plane extensional mode. Nevertheless, the latter mode is the only one that allows the use of the device as a modal in-plane actuator. Finite Element Method (FEM) simulations confirmed that the displacement per applied voltage was superior for the low-stiffness actuator, which was also verified through optical measurements in a quasi-static analysis, obtaining a displacement per volt of 0.22 and 0.13 nm/V for the low-stiffness and high-stiffness actuator, respectively. In addition, electrical measurements were performed using an impedance analyzer which, in combination with the optical characterization in resonance, allowed the determination of the electromechanical and stiffness coefficients. The low-stiffness actuator exhibited a stiffness coefficient of 5 × 104 N/m, thus being more suitable as a modal actuator than the high-stiffness actuator with a stiffness of 2.5 × 105 N/m. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue MEMS-based Actuators)
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13560 KiB  
Article
Static and Dynamic Studies of Electro-Active Polymer Actuators and Integration in a Demonstrator
by Pauline Poncet, Fabrice Casset, Antoine Latour, Fabrice Domingues Dos Santos, Sébastien Pawlak, Romain Gwoziecki, Arnaud Devos, Patrick Emery and Stéphane Fanget
Actuators 2017, 6(2), 18; https://doi.org/10.3390/act6020018 - 4 May 2017
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 9044
Abstract
Nowadays, the haptic effect is used and developed for many applications—particularly in the automotive industry, where the mechanical feedback induced by a haptic system enables the user to receive information while their attention is kept on the road and on driving. This article [...] Read more.
Nowadays, the haptic effect is used and developed for many applications—particularly in the automotive industry, where the mechanical feedback induced by a haptic system enables the user to receive information while their attention is kept on the road and on driving. This article presents the development of a vibrotactile button based on printed piezoelectric polymer actuation. Firstly, the characterization of the electro-active polymer used as the actuator and the development of a model able to predict the electromechanical behavior of this device are summarized. Then, the design of circular membranes and their dynamic characterization are presented. Finally, this work is concluded with the construction of a fully functional demonstrator, integrating haptic buttons leading to a clear haptic sensation for the user. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue MEMS-based Actuators)
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818 KiB  
Article
A Miniature Pneumatic Bending Rubber Actuator Controlled by Using the PSO-SVR-Based Motion Estimation Method with the Generalized Gaussian Kernel
by Kou Fujita, Mingcong Deng and Shuichi Wakimoto
Actuators 2017, 6(1), 6; https://doi.org/10.3390/act6010006 - 3 Feb 2017
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 7918
Abstract
Soft actuators have been employed in various fields recently. A miniature pneumatic bending rubber actuator is one of the soft actuators. This actuator will be used for medical and biological fields. Its flexibility and high safety are suitable for fragile objects. However, its [...] Read more.
Soft actuators have been employed in various fields recently. A miniature pneumatic bending rubber actuator is one of the soft actuators. This actuator will be used for medical and biological fields. Its flexibility and high safety are suitable for fragile objects. However, its modeling is difficult due to its nonlinearity. There are no suitable sensors to measure the output of this actuator. In this paper, the particle swarm optimization-support vector regression (PSO-SVR)-based estimation method with the generalized Gaussian kernel is proposed. An experimental result with the operator-based robust nonlinear control system is employed to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue MEMS-based Actuators)
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4341 KiB  
Article
Hysteresis Curve Fitting Optimization of Magnetic Controlled Shape Memory Alloy Actuator
by Fuquan Tu, Shengmou Hu, Yuhang Zhuang, Jie Lv, Yunxue Wang and Zhe Sun
Actuators 2016, 5(4), 25; https://doi.org/10.3390/act5040025 - 8 Nov 2016
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 9220
Abstract
As a new actuating material, magnetic controlled shape memory alloys (MSMAs) have excellent characteristics such as a large output strain, fast response, and high energy density. These excellent characteristics are very attractive for precision positioning systems. However, the availability of MSMAs in practical [...] Read more.
As a new actuating material, magnetic controlled shape memory alloys (MSMAs) have excellent characteristics such as a large output strain, fast response, and high energy density. These excellent characteristics are very attractive for precision positioning systems. However, the availability of MSMAs in practical precision positioning is poor, caused by weak repeatability under a certain stimulus. This problem results from the error of a large magnetic hysteresis in an external magnetic field. A suitable hysteresis modelling method can reduce the error and improve the accuracy of the MSMA actuator. After analyzing the original hysteresis modelling methods, three kinds of hysteresis modelling methods are proposed: least squares method, back propagation (BP) artificial neural network, and BP artificial neural network based on genetic algorithms. Comparing the accuracy and convergence rate of three kinds of hysteresis modelling methods, the results show that the convergence rate of least squares method is the fastest, and the convergence accuracy of BP artificial neural networks based on genetic algorithms is the highest. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue MEMS-based Actuators)
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Graphical abstract

2715 KiB  
Article
Structural Behavior of a Multi-Layer Based Microbeam Actuator
by Abdulrahman Alofi, Hassen M. Ouakad and Mohammad Tausiff
Actuators 2016, 5(3), 22; https://doi.org/10.3390/act5030022 - 31 Aug 2016
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 7600
Abstract
In this paper, the structural behavior of a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) composed of two electrically coupled parallel clamped-clamped microbeams is investigated. An Euler Bernoulli beam model is considered along with the nonlinear electric actuating force to get the equation of motion governing the [...] Read more.
In this paper, the structural behavior of a micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) composed of two electrically coupled parallel clamped-clamped microbeams is investigated. An Euler Bernoulli beam model is considered along with the nonlinear electric actuating force to get the equation of motion governing the structural behavior of the actuator. A reduced-order modeling (ROM) based on the Galerkin expansion technique, while assuming linear undamped mode shapes of a straight fixed-fixed beam as the basis functions, is assumed as a discretization technique of the equations of motion in this investigation. The results showed that the double-microbeam MEMS actuator configuration requires a lower actuation voltage and a lower switching time as compared to the single microbeam actuator. Then, the effects of both microbeams air gap depths were investigated. Finally, the eigenvalue problem was investigated to get the variation of the fundamental natural frequencies of the coupled parallel microbeams with the applied actuating DC load. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue MEMS-based Actuators)
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