An axial voice coil actuator is composed of a permanent magnet situated within a moving tubular coil of wire, all inside of a ferromagnetic cylinder. When current runs through the coil, it becomes magnetized and repels against the magnets, producing an in and out, back and forth motion. Source: Sensata Technologies
Sensata Technologies, a supplier of sensor solutions, industrial controls, power management and electrical protection, has announced a new white paper - "What Design Engineers Need to Know about VCA Technology" - that covers the current state of voice coil actuator (VCA) technologies for a variety of linear motion applications.
Any time an engineer is looking at developing a product that requires highly reliable, highly repeatable and highly controllable motions, they should consider VCAs, which are simple yet extremely robust and precise.
VCAs accelerate smoothly and quickly to any position within their stroke with nearly zero hysteresis and are only limited by the system’s position-sensing precision and driver capability. Because of this accuracy, these devices lend themselves extremely well to applications such as robotics, medical devices and industrial process equipment. The ability to integrate advanced precise linear motion in a wide range of applications is empowering both legacy application spaces as well as new uses that were not previously developed due to cost or complexity challenges.
This white paper is available as a free download at Sensata.
