Miniature Pumps: Piezo Technology on the Advance

Piezo pumps have been on the market for quite some time. In spite of their numerous advantages their application options have been limited until now. The conventional piezo actuators with their low amplitude did not produce adequate performance for most applications. A new technology now provides the breakthrough for piezo pumps.

The patented piezo actuator by AdaptiveEnergy is based on the new "Ruggedized Laminated Piezo" technology (RLPTM). The laminated piezo element allows the RLPTM actuator to achieve significantly higher amplitudes than conventional piezo drives. Thus, a performance leap is achieved which not only guarantees greater operating reliability but, at the same time, also drastically improves the control properties of the piezo pumps. The RLP™ actuator is the heart of the new Piezo Liquid Pump SP 125 PZ-L by Schwarzer Precision.

The processor-based control mechanism controls the SP 125 PZ-L pumps in real-time in response to the current system feedback. The connection to the system controller can be made via UART or I2 interface. Several PZ-Ls can be networked together and combined into an array of intelligent pumps. The self-suctioning PZ-L pumps can be controlled separately, both in frequency and amplitude. The very wide range of voltage and frequency allows them to be tuned exactly to each customer's application.
The RLPTM technology thus brings a host of new applications to the piezo based pumps. Applications requiring high flow rates up to 300 ml/min can now benefit from the low power, long service life as well as the superior control characteristics marking this new technology.