Design, analysis and control of a novel linear actuator

The main objective of this work is to develop a linear actuator for accurate position control with high force-to-mass ratio. A novel configuration is developed which has double-sided NdFeB stator and a printed circuit moving armature. A design methodology is presented which is based upon FEM magnetic circuit analysis and a simulation software for performance predictions. The latter is developed in the VisSim TM environment. For design optimization, new criteria are introduced. A hardware-in-the loop (HIL) control technique is developed and applied to the designed motor. Micrometer position accuracy is achieved experimentally. It is shown that computational and experimental performance values are in good agreement.