抄録
Pneumatic actuators have lower environmental load compared with hydraulic actuators. Moreover, pneumatic actuators can achieve compliance and flexibility easily. For the above-mentioned reasons, pneumatic actuators are used in widely fields of medical treatments and industries. However, there is a difficulty in positioning, and impacts at the cylinder ends are large when the actuators are driven with high speed. This study aimed at a development of a new mechanism of a variable orifice driven by PZT. This orifice can control the flowing of air and can control the piston speed realize energy absorption of the pneumatic actuator. First of all, the orifice vibration was designed using FEM analysis. The designed orifice was fabricated and evaluated. In addition, the principle of the orifice was confirmed.
