CTS offer high quality multilayer piezoelectric products with market leading performance, reliability and dimensions. All the products can be custom designed to match specific requirements. Read more about our capabilities to custom design your multilayer product.
Basics of multilayer products
A multilayer component is composed of several layers of piezoelectric material, alternating with internal electrodes. Internal electrodes are successively positive and negative. All positive electrodes are connected to one external electrode on one side of the component; negative electrodes are connected on the other side of the component.
Learn more about the multilayer technology
Benefits of multilayer piezo products
The advantage of multilayer piezoelectric products is that a factor of 100 lower voltages can be used for the same displacement of actuators. In addition, since the internal electrodes are embedded in the ceramic, higher electrical fields can be applied, leading to higher strain levels, and the active material is better protected against the environment.
The multilayer approach enables designs with multiple functions e.g. integration of several actuators within one component or combination of actuator and sensor.
CTS offers two types of multilayer piezo products: Linear Actuators and Bending Actuators either as standard products or custom designed to match specific requirements.
Linear Actuators
Plate and Ring Actuators
Displacement up to 400 μm at very low operating voltages (60V). Offer very high force in the kN range and high stiffness for short response time (<1ms). Height up to 300 mm.
High Temperature Actuators
Designed to perform at high temperature (maximum 200 °C). Displacement up to 400 μm and height up to 300 mm.
Damage Tolerant Actuators
The fuse technology of the damage tolerant stack fuses out any damaged ceramic element and the remaining ceramic elements continue to operate. Displacement up to 400 μm and height up to 300 mm.
Amplified Actuators
A compact solution offering higher displacement than stacked actuators, up to the milimeter range at the expense of force and frequency response. Nevertheless, our design offers unmatched performance with a first resonance in the kHz range.
Preloaded Stacks
This is a high performance, compact solution for faster accelerations/decelerations and shorter response time. The design is easy to integrate and the design is modular, so we can offer an exceptionally wide range of products, to closely match specific requirements.
Bending Actuators
Plate and Ring Benders
These actuators generate a bending mode with displacement between 5 μm and 10 mm depending on the type.
2D Benders
The 2D multilayer benders are capable of moving up, down, right and left, or as a single or double s-morph. The piezo design is scalable in terms of stiffness, displacement and dimensions.