VICTOR, N.Y., May 26, 2006 -- The latest Squiggle motor from miniature ceramic motor maker New Scale
Technologies Inc. is the smallest linear motor on the market, the
company announced. At 1.5 mm x 1.5 mm, the new SQL-1.5 piezoelectric
motor is half the size of competing micromotors and offers a 20-gram
push force and sub-µm position resolution, performing 10 times better
than its closest competitor on both counts, New Scale said. New
Scale's Squiggle motor design uses a threaded nut and screw to create
precise linear movement in a very small space. Piezoelectric ceramics
create ultrasonic vibrations in the nut, causing the screw to rotate
and translate with high precision. Squiggle motors are smaller, more
precise, less expensive and more efficient than conventional
electromagnetic motors, the company said. In addition, they use 90
percent fewer parts and require no gear reduction, which eliminates
many failure modes. Their ultrasonic motor design has much lower power
consumption than miniature electromagnetic motors and holds its
position when the power is turned off, further conserving battery life.
This ceramic motor is fundamentally compatible with high magnetic
fields, including MRI chambers.
New Scale said its Squiggle
motors are used in nanotechnology research, microelectronics, optics,
lasers, biotechnology, medical devices, aerospace and defense, fluid
control, and office/consumer products, including mobile phone
cameras.
“The SQL-1.5 opens a whole new range of
performance for miniature electronic systems such as phone cameras and
medical devices,” said New Scale President David Henderson. “Designers
of leading-edge mobile devices finally have a precise, reliable linear
motor that fits within their size and power budgets. They can add
motion -- and hence new capabilities -- where they were unable to do so
before.”
The SQL-1.5 has been designed into next-generation
autofocus and optical zoom assemblies by camera module developers who
support handset manufacturers. Focus and zoom capabilities have become
an essential ingredient in the drive to deliver smaller, thinner
handsets with the image quality of digital still cameras, the company
said.
“Even by the most conservative handset sales forecasts,
phone cameras alone represent a new market for one billion motors a
year,” Henderson said. “The requirements of these cameras can not be
met by current motor technologies.”
The SQL-1.5 is also of
interest to medical device manufacturers for a new class of implantable
drug pumps and microvalves. The motor itself is tiny, but its high
precision is what enables the most dramatic reduction in overall device
size, the company said. It provides more precise valve control, which
permits more concentrated medications and therefore smaller fluid
reservoirs. The ceramic motor design generates no magnetic fields and
can be made of non-ferrous materials, making it MRI-safe and image
compatible.
SQL-1.5 Squiggle motor specifications:
- Motor body dimensions: 1.5 mm x 1.5 mm x 6 mm
- Stroke: 10 mm (customizable)
- Resolution: Better than 100 nm
- Speed: (no load) Up to 10 mm/s
- Force: > 20 g
- Typical input power (moving): 400 mV (< 40 V)
- Input power (stationery): 0 mW (0 V)
New Scale
said the SQL-1.5 Squiggle motor evaluation kit is $950 and will be
available to qualified OEMs for delivery in July 2006. The kit includes
an SQL-1.5 motor, drive electronics card, cables and computer control
software, including an ActiveX command library.
For more information, visit: www.newscaletech.com; e-mail: [email protected]
New Scale Technologies Inc.
111 Victor Heights Pkwy.
Victor, NY 14564
Phone: (585) 924-4450
Fax: (585) 924-4468
Web site: www.newscaletech.com
E-mail: [email protected]