Development of a novel flexure based microgripper for precision manipulation of micro-objects

Researches on micro-manipulation have predominantly received great attention by microsystem researchers with the rapid evolvement of (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) MEMS technology and ever increasing demands in miniaturization of systems to be implemented in vast applications. On the aspect of dexterous manipulation of micro-parts, a robust microgripper encapsulating high precision and fidelity micro-handling attributes will determine the success of the microassembly procedures. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive study on the development of a microgripper utilizing relatively fast and accurate technique. A combination of Pseudo Rigid Body Modeling (PRBM) and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) technique is evident to expedite the prototyping procedure of the mechanism. The introduction of hybrid compliant mechanism concept via the unification of flexure hinge and cantilever beam structures provides significant improvement towards the microgripper grasping behavior to attain high precision and fidelity manipulations. The model was fabricated out of aluminum plate utilizing wire Electro Discharge Machining (EDM) technique. Empirical studies were conducted to investigate the performance of the mechanism as well as for model verification. The gripper demonstrates high motion amplification and maximum stroke of 100 mum can be achieved.