Layered manufacturing for prototyping of novel transducers

Layered Manufacturing (LM) technology has been implemented to prototype novel piezoelectric ceramics and composites for sensor and actuator applications. Piezoelectric actuators in the form of tubes, telescoping, spirals and ovals have been manufactured. Among actuators, spirals have shown giant tangential displacements up to several millimeters at moderate electric field. Multi-materials actuators have also been prototyped to study field-induced strain in these structures. In addition to actuators, piezocomposite sensors with oriented 2-2 and 3-3 composites were prototyped, in which the ceramic phase was oriented with respect to the poling direction. Various piezoelectric properties were measured and calculated. The hydrostatic figure of merit at an orientation angle of 45 degrees was significantly (50-80 times) larger than those of the conventional piezocomposites. Recently, we have fabricated net shape grain-oriented/single crystal components by integration of LM and Templated Grain Growth techniques. Grain oriented PMN-PT, bismuth titanate, and lead niobate components were also made using LM feedstock containing small amounts of platelet or needle-like seeds, resulting in improved piezoelectric properties.