I wanna know why piezoelectric actuators aren't used for more of this sort of thing. They can apply a decent force over a scale of tens of micrometers easily, or hundreds with careful design, and have force feedback too.
Piezos are sure the way to go for a fab-in-a-shed youtuber, but not yet for those who want to make it reproducible by others.
After playing around with several options, piezoelectric was the path I chose for a sub-micron stage. It took a bit of research, but it does make things much easier when done right.
Most hobby work is kept private now... due to safety issues with people without lab-training attempting complex builds. Indeed, a few fools still die every year attempting things they saw on you-tube ("Lichtenstein burning" etc.) =3