Chairman: Dr Paul Weaver

10.00: Coffee and Tea: Welcome, Paul Weaver, Servocell.

10.20: Introduction to UK Piezoclub Meting: Markys Cain

10.30-11.10 Multilayer piezoelectric ceramics based actuators, Cedrat Technologies solutions Thomas Maillard: Cedrat Technologies SA

This presentation will briefly introduce the technology of Cedrat for its multilayer piezo ceramics based actuators and their important role played in applications requiring fast and precise micropositioning. 1) Direct and Amplified Piezoelectric Actuators 2) Piezoelectric Motors 3) Applications Many developments performed at CEDRAT TECHNOLOGIES will illustrate the talk, in various technological fields (space, optics, medical, automotive...).

11.10-11.50 Servocell - releasing the potential of smart material actuation Mark Jones and Paul Weaver: Servocell

Servocell is creating innovative new products to enable producers of everyday products to reap the benefits of piezo actuation, without having to understand the complexities of piezo actuation. This is enabled through the creation of novel piezo actuators, various control systems and modular mechanism designs incorporating actuators and drive electronics. This is ably demonstrated by the operation of the new Servocell Active Latch lock module. We describe how this novel mechanism makes the most effective use of the mechanical characteristic of the piezo actuator to provide a highly robust locking mechanism. A tiny electronic system is integrated into the mechanism to provide efficient voltage conversion from a battery or signal line. The active latch brings the low power consumption, fast and silent operation, small size, and solid state reliability of smart material technology to a diverse range of applications such as access control in buildings, domestic appliances, IT systems and automotive.

11.50-12.30 Novel microscale actuators based on MEMS fabrications technqiues Steve Wilson: Cranfield University

12.30-14.00: Lunch

14.00-14.40 Single Crystal PMN-PT: Growth, Processing and Characterisation Alan Hill: The Crystal Consortium Ltd

The Crystal Consortium Ltd (TCC) has recently been investigating the growth and processing of the single crystal ferroelectric relaxor material Lead Magnesium Niobate-Lead Titanate (PMN-PT). This material has significant applications in medical ultrasound and sonar technology and offers at least a factor of three improvement in performance over current ceramic transducers. However, single-crystals are much more expensive to manufacture. The material is also challenging to grow in single crystal form because of problems arising from segregation, loss of composition, inhomogeneity and intrinsic defects. TCC has overcome these problems by developing a modified Bridgman growth process, which allows us to produce defect-free good quality material of 1" diameter. Initial piezoelectric characterisation has yielded notable performance with electro-mechanical coupling coefficients of kT measured at 0.57 and k33 = 0.88. We are now optimising our growth process before beginning to scale-up towards 2" diameter seeded growth.

14.40-15.20 A Helical Form, Near Equi-Atomic Nickel-Titanium, Dual Function Actuator. A.Anson 1.

P.Pozzolini. 2 S. Carosio.2I. Sutherland. 3 J. Van Humbeek. 4 J Cederstrom5, D. Ripamonti. 6 A Michael7

[1.Diameter Ltd., 2.D'Appollonia S.pa., 3.Brunel Institute for Bioengineering, 4.Catholic University of Leuvan, 5.Skandinaviska Minnesmetaller, 6.Ripamonti Spa, 7.Memory Metals Ltd.]

Thermally induced shape recovery effects can be used to generate linear or rotary actuators that have an advantageous mass to available force relationship. Nickel titanium shape memory alloy is capable of producing 20 joule per gram force when optimized and this enables considerable forces to be developed using a small material mass. A series of high-force linear actuators have been developed to facilitate the cleaving of bulk, high-value ores in the quarrying industry. The concept of "rock-splitting" using Ni\Ti near-equi-atomic shape memory alloy actuators has been proven. However, an additional requirement has been needed: to split rocks and to increase the fracture aperture for further processing. This has led to the development of a dual actuator that has high force, small excursion and lower force, larger excursion in one homogeneous structure. The concept, design and testing of this novel actuator is now described.

This work has been undertaken within a European Union, CRAFT funded program "Extractive-SMA"

15.20-16.00 Helical and Super-Helical Piezo-Based Actuators David Pearce: 1Ltd.

Research into piezoelectric ceramic processing technology, begun at the University of Birmingham and taken further by 1Ltd, have led to the development of new types of piezoelectric actuator based around helical bimorph geometries. These actuators are variations on the basic form of a superhelix, being a type of coiled coil. The behaviour of such actuators allows for compact geometries to generate large scale actuation displacements. Examples of applications for this new technology that are currently being exploited by 1Ltd will be shown, including a miniature camera lens focussing system.

16.00: Concluding Remarks and Tea/coffee