If you are working with Picometer actuators, you will likely want to make sure that they last as long as possible in order to ensure that you don't have to spend a ton of money purchasing new ones. You also want to avoid switching out the actuators as much as possible because you don't want to have to go through the process to re-embed the Picometer actuator into your overall mechanism. Here are some tips for ensuring that the lifetime of your Picometer actuator is as long as possible.

1. Watch for Stalling

As your Picometer actuator gets older, you will likely experience some stalling in certain parts of the thread. This is not a cause for alarm. The Picometer actuator can actually correct itself as long as you take the following steps. The first step is to locate the knob of the actuator. This will be mounted to its housing. The second step is to turn this knob so that the actuator itself is turning. Rotate the actuator over the offending area on the thread by turning the knob in one direction. Then, turn the knob in the other direction to go back over the region that is causing the actuator to stall. Do this several times in order to smooth out that area and keep your actuator from stalling there. This will essentially help you keep using your Picometer actuator as long as possible.

2. Keep it Lubricated

The next thing that you should do is keep the Picometer actuator lubricated a tiny bit. This lubricant should be applied every few shifts. The best location to put this lubricant in order to keep the amount of wear and tear to a minimum is between the ball tip and the loading stage. This will allow the ball tip to move smoothly over the stage and decrease the chances that the Picometer actuator will stall out.

3. Don't Touch the Threads

Avoid touching the threads of the actuator at all times. If you do have to touch the threads to clean them out or for some other reason, you will need to use something soft, such as a brush. Any pressure on the threads could cause them to warp and might cause your Picometer actuator to stall or worse, stop. 

For more information, talk to a company that specializes in staging and actuators like nPoint. 

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