Abstract
A novel microstepping linear mechanism is designed for aiming at high-speed and high-resolution positioning. The mechanism employs two electromagnets for clumping the rail, and one electromagnet for longitudinal actuation of the mechanism Use of the electromagnet enables to high-speed feed rate and use of inexpensive low-voltage amplifiers. Moreover, toggle mechanisms are used for reducing the actuator's displacement and enlarging the actuator's force. Because the relation between the input and output displacements of the toggle mechanism is non-linear, the microstepper achieves both high-speed and high-resolution positioning as necessary. This paper describes experimental mechanisms equipped with two types of actuators and shows their experimental result. It was demonstrated that these mechanisms had 0.57 mm/s and 1.0 mm/s maximum speeds and the positioning resolution less than 0.1 μm.
