To give you some more information I have attached my schematic for the device I would like to build. The two components I would like to change in the schematic is the solenoid push pull motor and the continuous rotation servo motor. I would like them to work together instead of being separate components The design is for a small hand held medical device that would be used to perform a povidine iodine scrub. The device will hold a cotton swab that will continuously swab a 1 inch diameter for 30 seconds and then push the swab out in a continuous rotation an additional 2 inches without overlapping. Essentially every rotation need to step a small amount further from the last rotation. To demonstrate the devices functionality I have attached a video of its application; instead of doing it by hand I would like to make a small device that serves the same purpose. I hope the video gives a clearer picture of how I can get the rotary motor to work in conjunction with an actuator or possibly even a stepper motor? I would love to hear your thoughts on components that could assist me in achieving the devices functionality... Thank you for your time
Janwe, if I understand your description accurately, you would like to have a 2” stroke in addition to rotation? You could build a electric motor with an armature that could move 2” within a set of field coils and probably use the field coils and armature coils as a solenoid- but such a motor/solenoid proba won’t be an off the shelf componen with cost implications. Time for creative design with separate motor and solenoid?
A much bigger issue is the fact that the surface - a body - isn't flat so the swabbing action will be in 3 dimensions not 2. This is an ideal task for the human visual - motor system to handle. It's largely designed for this and more complicated types of motion. Duplicating its performance in a cheap device isn't going to be easy. though nothing is impossible. In motion control systems you almost always need a motor for every degree of freedom and your requirement has several: rotation about an axis, revolution about the same axis and contour following. And that assumes the swab can be kept flat on the local surface using some spring loaded coupling. If it can't you will need two more motors for pitch and roll axes of the swab (that's a total of five motors) plus a surface seeking algorithm complete with sensors (visual and tactile) and it all starts getting expensive.
It is now possible to program multiple axis numerically controlled machines to move a tool as you show in your video; but that means moving the tool in fixed space, along a preset trajectory, not following a contour of something as delicate as skin. I wish you well in your research but recommend that you make the device simple with the operator adding in the more difficult movements like contouring.