PI Ceramic manufactures piezoelectric components in all shapes and sizes. Tubes, plates, blocks, discs, rings, spheres, and hemispheres can be produced with various electrode materials and configurations. Measuring less than 1mm, the miniature components are suitable for applications in limited spaces. These tiny components create motion and therefore realise adaptive fine adjustments to miniaturised optical elements.
Tiny piezo tubes, for example, are suitable for the finest actuator applications and can be used in medtech applications such as high-resolution endoscopy. Due to their design, including segmented electrodes, piezoelectric tubes can be used as actuators in fibre optics to improve the image quality. Additionally, miniaturised tubes can be used for precision-dosing applications using the ink-jet principle.
Due to their low operating voltage, instantaneous displacement and high forces, PI Ceramic's PICMAs can be used in various medical pumping and dispensing applications, like precision dosing or cell sorting. Even in limited space, the miniaturised PICMA Chip Actuators enable extremely fast picoliter-precise droplet generation.
The patented piezoelectric PICMA Multilayer Piezo Actuators are covered by an all-ceramic insulation layer and protected against humidity, resulting in a superior lifespan. Therefore, the monolithic PICMA Multilayer Piezo Actuators achieve enhanced reliability even under extreme ambient conditions. They are available in various designs with different displacement modes. In addition to working with longitudinal displacement, customised PICMA Benders operate in two-dimensional motion and execute a millimetre displacement so they can be used for valve and pumping functions suitable for lab-on-a-chip devices.
PI Ceramic not only develops application-specific piezo components but also designs printed circuit boards and connects the two elements by soldering or gluing. This saves customers a time-consuming and fault-prone step of production.
If carried out without the required expertise, the soldering process can affect the piezoelectric properties of the components. PI Ceramic offers this ready-to-use option, ensuring a consistent product quality.
PI Ceramic's experience in gluing and soldering technologies is also applied in the manufacture of customised sub-assemblies and ultrasonic transducers - in close cooperation with the customer.
The company's technological capabilities include contacting with wires and laces, gluing of components on membranes or substrates, as well as the production of small to medium series transducers.
All process steps are united under one roof and the cleanroom environment offers the best conditions for medical technology component manufacturing. PI Ceramic transducers work with frequencies up to several megahertz making them prone for flow and filling-level measurement as well as air bubble detection.
Patrick Pertsch, CEO of PI Ceramic, says, "As a leading player in the field of piezo technology, PI Ceramic offers a broad range of expertise in the complex development and manufacturing of functional ceramic components. State-of-the-art production equipment ensures high quality, flexibility, and adherence to supply deadlines for prototypes and small series, as well as largescale production in automated lines."
