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Mii Introduces an Economic Alternative To Piezoelectrics

20 May 1999

Mii Introduces an Economic Alternative To Piezoelectrics in Actuator And Fuel Injection Applications

    W. LEBANON, NH--(Automotive Wire)--May 20, 1999--Mii Technologies LLC. has introduced soft magnetic materials which, when combined with Mii's net shape part manufacturing capabilities, offer the automotive industry a realistic, reliable and economical alternative to Piezoelectrics technology in actuators and fuel injection systems.
    Mii's "SM" line of soft magnetic materials feature micron sized iron particles encapsulated in an inorganic coating. According to Dr. David Lashmore, an Mii principal and managing director of its materials technology, "The insulating encapsulation of Mii's soft magnetic materials is sufficiently effective in suppressing eddy current losses to enable rise and fall times of a hundred or so microseconds with force values on the order of 450 newtons. These performance values mean that Mii's soft magnetic materials are a very competitive alternative to Piezzoelectrics for actuator and fuel injection applications."
    The advantage of Mii magnetic devices for actuator and fuel injection applications are:
    -- Magnetic actuation technology is well proven and economical (vs. Piezzoelectrics)
    -- Proven in hot diesel environments
    -- Highly resistant to acoustic noise
    -- Can be very compact (3 to 4 mm in diameter); rise and fall times are specific to the design of the device,
    -- Requires minimum voltage to actuate.
    -- Mii manufacturing technology assures tight distribution of rise, force and fall values part to part in fuel injection applications enabling improvements in pollution control performance.

    On the other hand, Mii believes that Piezzoelectric devices have some inherent technology constraints in automotive applications: * Piezzoelectrics are sensitive to temperature changes and especially to heat,
    -- The devices are sensitive to acoustic noise
    -- Require relatively high voltage to actuate,
    -- The devices need to be long to get much movement,
    -- Piezzoelectrics are relatively expensive and unproven in automotive environments

    Glenn Beane, Mii's President and COO, said that, "Mii is uniquely positioned to provide a preferred alternative to Piezoelectrics because of Mii's blend of highly engineered materials and revolutionary forming technology. Mii's materials science has created a materials solution enabling magnetic devices to perform in applications otherwise limited to more complex technologies such as Piezoelectrics. Mii's innovative "True Dimension" forming technology enables complex net shapes from Mii soft magnetic materials fabricated in one step to achieve revolutionary cost effectiveness."

    Background:
    Mii provides reliable, cost effective solutions to many applications requiring highly engineered materials combined with low cost net shape part manufacturing technology.

    SOURCE: DigitalWork ( http://www.digitalwork.com )
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