David R. Dowe

Predicting the dynamic behavior of moving magnet actuators

Electromagnetic actuators are widely used for applications involving controlled motion. An important class of these devices is the moving magnet actuator. This type of actuator is gaining widespread use due to the concurrent development of high‐strength NdFeB magnetic materials. In this article, a method is presented for computing the dynamic behavior of moving magnet actuators. This method comprises a hybrid mathematical approach that includes magnetic circuit analysis, finite element analysis, and the direct computation of force and torque using integral expressions. The method is demonstrated herein using a specific actuator.