TDK Corporation presents two new piezo actuators made of RoHS-compatible lead zirconate titanate (PZT) with an internal copper electrode. COM30S5 (B58004M4030A020) and COM45S5 (B58004M4040A020) are available as unhoused, passivated components. They are characterized by an extraordinary dynamic range, a high force-to-volume ratio, and precision in the nanometer range. TDK achieves this through its patented copper-based High Active Stack (HAS) technology. Compared to other technologies, HAS piezo actuators from TDK offer superior performance, robustness to moisture, and a longer lifetime.

The voltage range goes from -10 to +180 V, their nominal stroke is reached at +160 V, and their allowed surface temperature ranges from -40 to +160 °C. With 30 mm and 45 mm heights, and with a cross-section of 5.2 mm x 5.2 mm, these actuators reach strokes of 55 and 83 µm correspondingly, at 160 V and 730 N of preload.

In addition, TDK plans to release three more actuators in 2023 to cover a wider application range. Today, these are available only as prototypes in limited quantities, and are not intended for series production: COM10S5 (Z63000Z2910Z001Z78) with 10 mm height and 16 µm of stroke, COM27S3 (Z63000Z2910Z001Z77, leaded) with 27 mm height and 47 µm of stroke, and the COM30S7 (Z63000Z2910Z001Z70) with 30 mm of height and 7 mm x 7 mm of cross-section delivering 55 µm of stroke and 2600 N of blocking force.

Numerous high-end solutions in the field of nano-positioning technology, valve control for liquids and gasses in process engineering, and semiconductor manufacturing are already relying on piezo actuators from TDK.

Main applications