Magnetic micro actuator using interactive force between magnetic elements

In micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) field, there have been used many kinds of actuators. Among them, the magnetic actuator has some advantages. As magnetic micro actuators do not need electric wiring for energy supply, the structure can be simple and be downsized easily. However, the magnetic force would be very small with downsizing, which is the main problem for conventional magnetic actuators. We propose a new type actuator using magnetic interaction force between magnetic elements to solve this matter. This actuator can work even if it gets smaller, because the interaction force is dominant in a microscopic region. We fabricated the actuator by a casting process with photolithography using the SU-8 resist material. Then, the structure was fabricated by casting the mixture of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) and a magnetic powder material. The beam type actuator works successfully and also shows interesting behavior. We can control the behavior of this actuator by changing the arrangement of magnetic elements on the structure. We also show theoretical evaluation of the deformation of the present actuator.