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Piezoelectric actuators convert electrical energy into a mechanical
displacement or stress using a piezoelectric effect. Since piezoelectric
elements have excellent responsiveness and conversion efficiency from
electrical energy to mechanical energy, various types of piezoelectric
actuators utilizing the piezoelectric effect of piezoelectric elements
have been developed in recent years. A piezoelectric actuator, which
utilizes the piezoelectricity of crystal, has been used widely in a high
precision positioning mechanism, since it can control a mechanical
displacement at high speed. Piezoelectric actuators have the advantage
of a high actuating precision and a fast reaction. Such actuators are
components with a high electrical capacity, whereby only part of the
electrical energy supplied to the actuators is converted to mechanical
energy.
Applications for piezoelectric actuators and
motors are based on the purposes and methods of use of systems to which
they are applied. The new report has segmented the applications into
eight distinct categories.
Piezoelectric actuators are developing into a large component market. Market pull is generated by
- high demand for ultra-small scale precision motion devices used in
manufacturing and inspection equipment, high volume, low cost autofocus
assemblies required in phone cameras, and high volume, moderate cost ink
printing cartridges used in printers.
- demand for
microactuator medical tools used in minimally invasive surgery and
micro-grippers required in manufacturing microsized objects such as
stents; and
- demand for dynamically-driven, high temperature actuators for diesel injector valves in automobiles.
Cost,
yield and reliability are important concerns for each of these
applications. A number of these concerns relate to basic material
science issues in the manufacture of the piezoelectric actuators for
these targeted, diversified applications.
This report
also deals with ultrasonic motors (USMs) that belong to the class of
piezoelectric motors. Due to their specific advantages compared to
conventional electromagnetic motors, USMs fill a gap in certain actuato applications. A key advantage of USMs over electromagnetic
motors is their compactness, i.e., their high stall torque-mass ratio
and high torque at low rotational speed, often making speed-reducing
gears superfluous.
Piezoelectric actuators are deemed
good candidates for applications that require fine precision, low
overall volume and mass, fast time response, low power consumption and
low electromagnetic interferences. Piezoelectric actuators are widely
used in the semiconductor and microelectronics industries, biology,
optics, photonics, telecommunications, and metrology. Typical
applications range from gene manipulation, vibration cancellation, fiber
optic alignment, machine-tool alignment, and active damping, to
hydraulic servo valves, shockwave generation, image stabilization, and
wafer-mask alignment.
STUDY GOAL AND OBJECTIVES The
report examines current products and application areas and provides
extensive market data for 2013 and market forecast from 2013 through
2018. It also outlines the competitive landscape, evaluates market
opportunities and risks, and anticipates future trends based on a series
of factors. With a multi-dimensional and in-depth view of the world
piezoelectric device market, this report is ideal for understanding
current applications and markets, international market penetration,
business expansion, or project feasibility analysis.
This
study focuses on key piezoelectric-operated actuators and motors and
provides data about the size and growth of these markets, along with
company profiles and industry trends. The goal of this report is to
provide a detailed and comprehensive multi-client study of the markets
in North America, Europe, Japan, China and the rest of the world (ROW)
for piezoelectric-operated actuators and motors, as well as potential
business opportunities. This report also deals with miniature actuators
based on thin-film piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate (PZT), which is
one of the most efficient electromechanical coupling transducer
materials currently available for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS).
Piezoelectric MEMS (piezo MEMS) are in use in radio frequency (RF)
devices for communications and radar applications and in the emerging
field of millimeter-scale robotics. The report also looks into lead-free
piezoelectric materials such as bismuth ferrite, BiFeO3 (BFO), and
others for construction of actuators used for medical applications.
There is growing demand for lead-free piezoelectric actuators for
medical applications. The report highlights ongoing research on
alternative lead-free piezoelectric materials in order to replace
lead-based materials to avoid health hazards.
The
objectives include thorough coverage of underlying economic issues
driving the piezoelectric-operated actuators and motors business, as
well as assessments of new, advanced piezoelectric-operated actuators
and motors that are in development. Also covered are legislative
pressures for increased safety and environmental protection, as well as
users’ expectations for economical actuators and motors. Another
important objective is to provide realistic market data and forecasts
for piezoelectric-operated actuators and motors. This study provides the
most thorough and up-to-date assessment on the subject. The study also
provides extensive quantification of the many important facets of market
development in piezoelectric-operated actuators and motors. This, in
turn, contributes to a determination of the kinds of strategic responses
companies may adopt in order to compete in these dynamic markets.
REASONS FOR DOING THE STUDY Piezoelectric
devices, combined with the development of piezoelectric materials, have
become a key enabling technology for a wide range of industrial and
consumer products. The piezoelectric device market experienced robust
growth in last two decades and sustained fairly healthy growth even
during the global economic downturns. It will again witness strong
growth in the next years, and certain application markets already enjoy
double digital growth.
The industrial and manufacturing
area is still the largest application market for piezoelectric devices,
followed by the automotive industry. However, the strongest demand comes
from medical instruments and information and telecommunication, which
are gaining ever-increasing importance among piezoelectric device
suppliers.
The piezoelectric actuator and motor market is
an attractive and still-growing multi-million dollar market
characterized by very high production volumes of actuators and motors
that must be both extremely reliable and low in cost. Growth in the
market continues to be driven by increasing demand in camera phones for
autofocus mechanisms, data storage, semiconductors, micro-electronics
production, precision mechanics, life science and medical technology,
optics, photonics, nanometrology, robots, toys, HVAC control systems,
and other applications such as piezo fuel injectors, ink cartridges in
printers, micropumps, microgrippers. microsurgery tools and
piezoelectric MEMS (piezo MEMS) actuators.
iRAP conducted
this study in 2007 and later in 2009. However, with increased demand
for these devices, and with improved and emerging technologies as well
as applications, iRAP felt a need to conduct a detailed study and update
technology developments and markets. The report identifies and
evaluates piezoelectric-operated actuators and motors and technologies
which show potential growth.
CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE STUDY The
report covers technology, product analysis, manufacturers’ profiles,
competitive analysis, raw material suppliers, electronics suppliers,
system integrators, material and material cost analysis, market dynamics
and patent status of leading players, to provide a complete picture of
the status and growth of the piezoelectric actuator market on a global
scale from 2013 to 2018.
This study provides the most
complete accounting of the current market and future growth in
piezoelectric actuators and motors. The study also provides extensive
quantification of the important facets of market developments in
emerging markets for these actuators and motors, such as China.
SCOPE AND FORMAT The
market data contained in this report quantify opportunities for
piezoelectric-operated actuators and motors. In addition to product
types, this report also covers the many issues concerning the merits and
future prospects of the business, including corporate strategies,
information technologies, and the means for providing these highly
advanced product and service offerings. This report also covers in
detail the economic and technological issues regarded by many as
critical to the industry’s current state of change. It provides an
overview of the piezoelectric actuator and motor industry and its
structure, and of the many companies involved in providing these
products. The competitive positions of the main players in the market,
and the strategic options they face, are also discussed, along with such
competitive factors as marketing, distribution and operations.
TO WHOM THE STUDY CATERS Audiences
for this study include marketing executives, business unit managers and
other decision makers in piezoelectric-operated actuators and motors
companies and companies peripheral to this business. The study will
benefit existing manufacturers of actuators and motors who seek to
expand revenues and market opportunities through new technology such as
piezoelectric-operated actuators and motors, positioned to become a
preferred solution for many applications. This study also will benefit
users of piezoelectric-operated actuators and motors who deal with
actuators where electromagnetic field generation is an issue and
operational performance parameters and space are important
considerations, such as in autofocus lens mechanisms of camera phones,
nanometrology, precision linear/rotary drives, drug delivery systems,
antenna array deployment, and other fields such as piezo fuel
injectors, ink cartridges in printers, micropumps, microgrippers and
microsurgery tools, MEMS piezo, micro air vehicles.
REPORT SUMMARY A
confluence of new piezo-based technology has breathed new capability
into the nano- and micropositioning world. Piezoelectric actuators are
widely used in the semiconductor and microelectronics industries,
biology, optics, photonics, telecommunications, and metrology. More
specifically, piezoelectric actuators and motors have been widely
applied to eight distinct application areas, including:
- high-precision micron to nanoscale motion-related applications;
- autofocus mechanism (AFM) kits in phone and digital cameras;
- microscope applications for image stabilization and autofocus;
- automotive fuel injectors;
- accurate fluid flow applications such as micropumps, piezo valves and microblowers;
- piezo ink cartridges used in printers;
- medical/surgical instruments and portable ultrasonic diagnostic devices; and
- miscellaneous applications such as mini-robots (used as micro air
vehicles and unmanned air vehicles), hard disk drives, textile
engineering, Braille reading devices, active vibration reduction
devices, MEMS piezo actuators, and others.
Piezomotors
and actuators typically eliminate any need for gear reduction because
they drive loads directly. One way to understand how a piezomotor
generates motive force is to examine the SQUIGGLE® motor. It can move
with 1,000 times more precision than an electromagnetic motor while
hitting nanometer resolutions. In contrast, electromagnetic motors
struggle to give micrometer resolution.
Piezo actuation
is increasingly suitable for applications formerly addressable only by
magnetic motors, and the technology offers significant benefits in terms
of size, speed, fieldless-ness, reliability, vacuum compatibility,
resolution and dynamics. These benefits, in turn, enable significant
advances in existing and new applications. Examples of these
applications abound. For instance, optical assemblies of escalating
sophistication require multiple axes of nanoprecision alignment that
must remain aligned for months of round-the-clock usage. Another example
is emerging nano-imprint lithography methods which demand exacting
positioning and trajectory control and must retain alignment integrity
under significant physical and thermal stresses. Applications range from
cell phone cameras to endoscopy and fluid delivery mechanisms,
requiring exceedingly small but stiff, responsive, and reliable
positioning of optics, probes and shutters. Until recently, these
conflicting requirements had no solution.
Major findings of this report are: - The 2013 global market for piezoelectric operated actuators and motors
was estimated to be $11.1 billion, and the market is estimated to reach
$16 billion by 2018, showing an compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of
7.7% per year.
- The market for piezoelectric-operated
actuators and motors in micron- to nanoscale (ultra-small scale
precision motion) related applications will be the largest segment in
2013 and projected to grow with a CAGR of 7.6%.
- The second big segment is autofocus mechanism (AFM) kits used in phone cameras and digital cameras..
- The third major segment includes microscope lenses autofocus and zoom
mirror adjustment, image stabilization for ultra-precision imaging and
resolution enhancement which is estimated to grow with a higher CAGR of
15.3%.
- The remaining is a market mix segment consisting
of fuel injectors used in automotives, micropumps, piezo valves,
microblowers, piezo ink cartridges used in printers, medical surgery
instruments, portable ultrasonic diagnostic devices-mini-robots (used as
micro air vehicles), unmanned air vehicles), hard disk drives, textile
engineering, Braille reading devices, active vibration reduction devices
(e.g., adoptronics), MEMS piezo actuators and similar products.
- Industrial and manufacturing is still the largest application market
for piezoelectric devices, followed by the automotive industry. However,
the strongest demand comes from medical instruments and information and
telecommunication, which are gaining ever increasing importance among
piezoelectric device suppliers.
- The manufacturers of
optics, photonics and nanometrology equipment have been the major
consumers of piezoelectric-operated motors and actuators.
- In terms of types, bulk PZT material-based piezo actuators and motors have the highest market share.
- In terms of regional market share, North America leads, followed by
Europe, Japan, and the balance for China and the rest of the world.
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