ME EL 2

Mechanical
Engineering
Elective 2

Activity No. 04

Topic/s Covered:
Module 6
Module 7
 ME EL 2 | MECHANICAL ENGINEERING ELECTIVE
2 ACTIVITY NO. 04
Topic/s Covered: Module 6 and Module 7

Student Name: ID Number:

Instruction/s: Perform the following tasks.

A. Conduct an Internet Search, Aside from Hydraulic, Electric, and Pneumatic Actuators
used in Robotics Drive Systems, state and discuss some examples of Novelty Actuators
applied in Robotics and Automation. Provide illustrations, if applicable.

 Piezoelectric Actuator

An electrical signal is converted into a precisely controlled physical

displacement by a piezoelectric actuator. If displacement is avoided, a usable force will
emerge. Piezoelectric actuators provide precise movement control, which is used to fine-
tune machining tools, lenses, mirrors, and other equipment. A piezo actuator can be used
to control hydraulic valves, as a small-volume pump or special-purpose motor, and in a
variety of other applications that require movement or force.

Illustration of Piezoelectric Actuator

The piezo effect is primarily used in piezo actuators. When a force and/or
voltage are applied to basic piezoelectric materials, their dimensions change. As a result,
these actuators are extremely useful in applications requiring the precise positioning of
mechanical devices, such as mirrors on satellites and telescopes, as well as non-magnetic
and miniaturized medical devices.

Piezoelectric actuators are widely used in a variety of industries, ranging

from automotive and defense applications to scientific instrumentation and ultrasonic
machine controls, because they emit little heat and consume almost no power when
activated. The piezoelectric actuator is used in a variety of industrial, automotive,
medical, aviation, aerospace, and consumer electronics applications due to its simple
design, minimal moving parts, lack of lubrication requirements, and high reliability
characteristics.

 Magneto
strictive
Actuators

Magneto
strictive Actuators
are magnetic actuators
that are solid state. The
expansion of the magneto
strictive rod is generated
by a current- driven coil
surrounding the rod.
Magneto strictive Actuators require a magnetic bias to provide a linearized response,
which can be accomplished using either a direct current in the coil or permanent magnets.
 Illustration of Magneto strictive Actuators

Because of high coupled stresses (up to 50Mpa) and the availability of rods with large

sections (more than 50mm in diameter), magneto strictive actuators can provide large
forces. While the stroke is determined by the active rod's expansion and length (up
to 200mm). A mechanical amplifier, such as a shell, can be used to amplify a stroke.
The coil number of turns can also be used to adjust the excitation voltage. The
required magnetic field can be produced with a low voltage using high current and large
section wires (less than 12V if needed).

The magneto strictive actuator can provide a good stroke length that is constructed by thin
laminate strip, magnet and support. The two-layer laminated strip consists of one good
bending functional material layer and one magneto strictive layer.

 Shape memory alloy Actuators

Shape memory alloy Actuators

Shape-memory alloys (SMAs) are materials that change shape in response to

temperature changes. SMA technologies were first commercialized by Raychem Corp.
 (now TE Connectivity) in the 1950s, after being funded by the US Navy. However, the
unpredictability of early material versions posed a challenge. As a result, manufacturers
have spent decades researching (with varying degrees of success) ways to improve the
durability, consistency, and applicability of SMA-based designs.

One new SMA-based linear-motion offering now employs advanced SMA

material to achieve repeatable and predictable motion. The manufacturer bundles SMA
wires and secures them to an actuator housing. This heat is generated by current flowing
through the (electrically resistive) SMA; once warmed past a transition temperature, the
atoms of the wires realign to another crystalline structure. This causes wire contraction
when heated and re-extension when cooled, resulting in linear motion output.

B. Conduct an Internet Search. Aside from manufacturing applications, name and discuss
some emerging and future applications of robots in the field of mechanical engineering.
Provide illustrations, if applicable.
In Washington, DC, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
gathered more than 120 engineering and science leaders from 19 countries representing
industry, academia, and government to imagine what mechanical engineering will
become between now and 2028.
 They identified the components of a shared vision in which mechanical
engineering will work together as a global profession over the next 20 years to develop
engineering solutions that promote a cleaner, healthier, safer, and more sustainable world.
One of the key conclusions of this Global Summit on the Future of Mechanical
Engineering was that nanotechnology and biotechnology will dominate technological
development over the next 20 years, and will be incorporated into all aspects of
technology that affect our lives on a daily basis. Bio- and nanotechnologies will provide
the building blocks for future engineers to use in a variety of fields such as medicine,
energy, water management, aeronautics, agriculture, and environmental management.
As it becomes clear that biotechnologies and nanotechnologies are at the heart
of technological innovation, many of the most exciting opportunities for mechanical
engineers exist at the crossroads of these two fields of technology. If you believe this
argument, mechanical engineering is the field to pursue if you want to make the world a
better place.

References:
Piezoelectric Actuator. (2021). Retrieve from https://www.americanpiezo.com/piezo-
theory/actuators.html

Magneto strictive Actuators. (2020, June). Retrieve from. https://www.cedrat-

technologies.com/fileadmin/user_upload/CTEC/Technologies/Actuators/
Magnetic_actuators_motors/fiche_AMA/Magnetostrictive_Actuators.pdf

Eitel, L. (2019, October 29). Shape-memory alloys Actuators. Retrieve form

https://www.designworldonline.com/shape-memory-alloys-linear-actuators-a-new-
positioning/#:%7E:text=Shape%2Dmemory%20alloys%20(SMAs),changes%20by
%20changing%20form%20factor.&text=Now%20one%20new%20SMA%2Dbased,them
%20to%20an%20actuator%20housing.

M. Berger. (2008, August 18). Biotechnology and Nanotechnology. Retrieve from

https://www.nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotid=6791.php