Hard PZT piezoelectric ceramics can endure higher drive voltages and more demanding duty cycles than soft PZT materials. Hard PZT is ideal for high power, drive applications.
Industrial applications of hard PZT rely primarily on two standard materials: Navy Type I (PZT-4) and Navy Type III (PZT-8). Sensor Technology Ltd. manufactures these two piezoelectric ceramic formulations as BM402 and BM802 respectively.
BM802 – PZT-8 (NAVY TYPE III)
With an extremely low loss factor and high quality factor, BM802 (Navy Type III) is the material of choice for high power transducers. It is commonly used for sonar systems and other high power acoustic transmitters. These tend to be lower frequency applications, generally falling within the audible range (< 20 kHz). However, it is also chosen for high power ultrasonic applications. These include ultrasonic welding, ultrasonic cleaning and megasonic cleaning. These high power applications often occur at frequencies into the hundreds of kilohertz range (i.e. 100,000 Hz and higher). As the name suggests, megasonic cleaning occurs at frequencies around 1 MHz.
BM402 – PZT-4 (NAVY TYPE I)
BM402 (Navy Type I), commonly referred to as PZT-4, offers a valuable balance between hard PZT, such as BM802, and soft PZT. It has a low dielectric loss, making it suitable for high power, drive applications. At the same time, it has excellent piezoelectric properties, making it useful in receiving applications as well. PZT-4 is generally the first choice for transducers that will both transmit and receive. BM402 provides performance comparable to that of other common PZT-4 materials, including Channelite-5400 PZT.
BM200
Our unique BM200 piezoelectric ceramic is the even harder than BM802 (Navy Type III). It is an excellent candidate for highly repetitive, quasi-static loads and extreme drive applications. Contact us for more information.
COMMON APPLICATIONS FOR HARD PZT:
High-powered, active applications such as:
- sonar projectors
- depth sounders
- communications systems
- ultrasonic welding
- ultrasonic and megasonic cleaning
Download the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for Sensor Technology Ltd.’s piezoelectric ceramics. You may use the SDS in place of the now outdated Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS).