Abstract
Pneumatic actuators have lower environmental load compared with hydraulic actuators. Moreover, pneumatic actuators can achieve compliance and flexibility easily. These advantages make pneumatic actuators used in the fields of medical treatments and industries. However, they have a difficulty in positioning, and impacts on the cylinder ends are big 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. In this report, the oscillator has been improved from the previous prototype to realize flow construe under wide range of pressure. As a result, the performance of the oscillator is greatly improved, and the continuous flow control under high pressure becomes possible.
