Special milling machines work the sensitive ceramic films in the green state, i.e. before sintering. The individual layers are then equipped with electrodes and laminated. The co-fired process is used to sinter the ceramic with the internal electrodes, as happens with PICMA® standard actuators.
The result is a continuous insulating ceramic layer with all its familiar advantages: The piezo actuator is protected against humidity and has a high dielectric strength, which significantly increases the lifetime when compared to conventional polymer-insulated actuators.
PICMA® piezo stack actuators with additional inner hole are ideal for fiber-stretching applications, for example. It is also possible to produce piezo bender elements in different designs with and without a hole.
PI Ceramic (PIC) is one of the world's leading companies in the field of piezo ceramics. PICMA® multilayer actuator technology, which has won awards for its reliability, is just one of the elements manufactured by PIC. The company has been developing and producing piezo ceramic materials and components for standard and OEM solutions since 1992: Piezo components, ultrasonic transducers, actuators and system solutions. PI Ceramic, a subsidiary of Physik Instrumente (PI), has its headquarters in Lederhose, Thuringia.