A simple gain-scheduling approach to the position control of electrostatically levitated
materials is presented. An electrostatic levitator is currently being constructed at the German
Aerospace Center (DLR). It can be used for containerless processing of metals and
nonconducting materials. Time-varying sample charges and the fact that the plant is open-
loop unstable make this a difficult and challenging control problem. The nonlinear parameter-
dependent system is approximated by two local linear models. Based on these models, two …