Piezosonic Motor Entwicklungsgeschichte

Piezo Sonic Motor: Piezo Sonic's representative, Mr. Tada, tells the story of the development of long-life ultrasonic motors.

Encounter with ultrasonic motors

When I entered university (around 1995), many researchers were working on the development of robots as a comprehensive technology that included circuit design, software design, image processing technology, and mechanism design. In my laboratory, we were involved in a project to develop a lunar exploration robot in collaboration with JAXA during my senior year of college, and an ultrasonic motor was selected as a candidate for a motor that would be useful for a lunar exploration robot because of its small size and limited power consumption. The development of an ultrasonic motor that could be used in a vacuum for a lunar exploration robot became an essential task for the development of a small, lightweight, low-power, yet multi-mission exploration robot. As a hobby since my elementary school days, I was involved in radio-controlled vehicles using assembled DC motors. I was strongly attracted to ultrasonic motors, which do not use magnets or coils in their driving principle, and my research theme was “development of ultrasonic motors usable in a vacuum,” which was my first encounter with ultrasonic motors.

Through joint development with JAXA

In collaboration with JAXA, I was fascinated by the versatility of ultrasonic motors, capable of operating in magnetic fields like MRIs and radiation-exposed environments such as nuclear plants. They are lightweight, robust, and maintain their posture even when power is off.
With Mr. Sashida's collaboration, we conducted rigorous tests, including heat, vacuum, radiation endurance, and simulated rocket launch vibrations, resulting in a prototype ultrasonic motor suitable for space.
Motivated to commercialize superior ultrasonic motors, I joined Mr. Sashida's company and contributed to their development.

Piezo Sonic is launched

One year after joining a manufacturer of ultrasonic motors, I was promoted to Director of Engineering and Development. Over the past decade with the company, I've continuously advanced ultrasonic motors, control circuits, and application technologies, accumulating 20 years of experience since my student days. Along the way, I've fostered relationships with clients and collaborators beyond the company's boundaries. Fuelled by a growing aspiration to innovate, I founded Piezo Sonic—a venture aimed at creating groundbreaking ultrasonic motors and related products, serving unmet needs in the market.

Solving Ultrasonic Motor Challenges

Piezo Sonic developed a patented technology that significantly enhances the lifespan of ultrasonic motors by redesigning the motor mechanism and materials. Following this breakthrough, we trademarked the new long-life ultrasonic motor as the Piezo Sonic motor and launched it into the market.

The PSM series of Piezo Sonic's ultrasonic motors not only offer extended lifespan but also feature a 20% increase in maximum torque and controllable speed range compared to conventional products. Additionally, they have been downsized by 25%.

Our product lineup includes the PSM-S series for general environments and the PSM-N series for magnetic field environments, with customization options available for shaft size and length.

Winner of the 2018 Monozukuri Award

For the PSM60 series, the Japan Society for Precision Engineering, which has a long history as an engineering society, recognized our technology and awarded us the "2018 Monozukuri Award". In addition, the PSM series has significantly extended the service life, which has been a disadvantage of ultrasonic motors, making it possible to be newly selected as a candidate motor for higher torque, smaller size, and quieter operation for products that currently use DC motors and stepping motors. Piezo Sonic will continue to support the further development of Piezo Sonic motors and the future of Japanese manufacturing through technology, ideas, and "co-creation" with partner manufacturers.