In this paper, the design and fabrication of a rotational electrostatic motor with air bearing is presented. Electrostatic motors have many advantages such as convenient fabrication and compact size. In this study, the rotor is a Plexiglas disc with 38-mm diameter and 1-mm thickness and stator is a round set of electrodes etched by standard printed circuit board technique. Plexiglas was used in laser disc optical media and has been developed for use in CDs and DVDs. To reduce the friction between the rotor and the stator, an air bearing is used. Also, in this paper, kinetics of the motion, design, and fabrication process of a prototype is described and then some parameters influencing motor operation are experimentally investigated; experimental results show successful motor operation. In addition, high rotational velocity and optimum acceleration are achieved throughout the operation of the motor.
