Design for Assembly Guidelines for High-Performance Compliant Mechanisms

2012 ◽  
Vol 134 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Prasanna Gandhi ◽  
Kaustubh Sonawale ◽  
Vaibhav Soni ◽  
Naved Patanwala ◽  
Arvind Bansode

Compliant mechanisms with ultrahigh precision motion are being increasingly used for several applications including micromeasurement, micro/nanomanipulation, microfabrication, and so on. Flexure linkages offer inherent advantages of being frictionless, highly repeatable, and having great design flexibility. Monolithic fabrication of these mechanisms limits the use of multiple materials for optimized design and is expensive or infeasible especially for three-dimensional mechanisms. An alternative method of assembling components of a compliant mechanism is considered in this paper and design for assembly guidelines are put forth. It is found that if each of the connections of a compliant mechanism is constrained exactly using two pins as per the traditional practice, internal stresses are generated in the links and their warping does not allow the desired operation of the mechanism. The proposed guidelines, which are based on Grubler’s criteria, include a simple formulation to determine number of locating pins to be used in the entire assembly. Further, these guidelines also determine the locations of these pins. Several compliant mechanisms were fabricated and assembled using these guidelines and were found to be working satisfactorily.

Author(s):  
Prasanna Gandhi ◽  
Vaibhav Soni ◽  
Kaustubh Sonawale ◽  
Naved Patanwala

Flexure mechanism systems with ultra-high precision motion are increasingly being used for several applications including micro-measurement, micro/nano manipulation, microfabrication, data reading, writing on CD, and so on. Flexure linkages offer inherent advantages of being frictionless, highly repeatable, and having great design flexibility. Monolithic fabrication of these mechanisms limits use of multiple materials in the system and becomes expensive especially for three dimensional mechanisms. Alternative method of assembling various components of flexure mechanism is considered in this paper. Assembly guidelines for building flexure mechanisms from separately machined components are arrived at. It is found that if each of the fixed ends of the flexure mechanism is located perfectly using two pins, internal stresses are generated in the linkages and their warping does not allow the desired operation. The proposed guidelines which are based on criterion similar to Grubler’s include a very simple formulation to determine number of location pins to be used in assembly. Further guidelines are laid down to determine locations of these pins. Two flexure mechanisms, one planar and other 3D based on double parallelogram flexure linkage mechanisms are fabricated and assembled using these guidelines and found to be working with repeated assembly and disassembly.


2008 ◽  
Vol 131 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong Zhou ◽  
Kwun-Lon Ting

A 3D multilayer wide curve is a spatial curve with variable cross sections and multiple materials. The performance of multimaterial compliant mechanisms and structures is enhanced by integrating multiple materials into one-piece configurations. This paper introduces a geometric modeling method for spatial multimaterial compliant mechanisms and structures by using 3D multilayer wide curves. Based on the introduced modeling method, a geometric synthesis approach is proposed. In this paper, every connection in a spatial multimaterial compliant mechanism or structure is represented by a 3D multilayer wide curve and the whole compliant mechanism or structure is modeled as a set of connected wide curves. The geometric modeling and synthesis are considered as the generation and optimization of the control parameters of the corresponding 3D multilayer wide curves. The performance of spatial multimaterial compliant mechanisms and structures is evaluated by the isoparametric degenerate-continuum nonlinear finite element procedure. The problem-dependent objectives are optimized and the practical constraints are imposed during the synthesis process. The effectiveness of the proposed geometric modeling and synthesis procedures is verified by the demonstrated examples.


Author(s):  
Hong Zhou ◽  
Kwun-Lon Ting

Three-dimensional multilayer wide curves are spatial curves with variable cross sections and multiple materials. This paper introduces a geometric optimization method for spatial multimaterial compliant mechanisms and structures by using three-dimensional multilayer wide curves. In this paper, every multimaterial connection is represented by a three-dimensional multilayer wide curve and the whole spatial multimaterial compliant mechanism or structure is modeled as a set of connected three-dimensional multilayer wide curves. The geometric optimization of a spatial multimaterial compliant mechanism or structure is considered as the optimal selection of control parameters of the corresponding three-dimensional multilayer wide curves. The deformation and performance of spatial multimaterial compliant mechanisms and structures are evaluated by the isoparametric degenerate-continuum nonlinear finite element procedure. The problem-dependent objectives are optimized and the practical constraints are imposed during the optimization process. The optimization problem is solved by the MATLAB constrained nonlinear programming algorithm. The effectiveness of the proposed geometric optimization procedure is verified by the demonstrated examples.


Author(s):  
Femke M. Morsch ◽  
Just L. Herder

The objective of this paper is to design a generic zero stiffness compliant joint. This compliant joint could be used as a generic construction element in a compliant mechanism. To avoid the spring-back behavior of conventional compliant joints, the principle of static balancing is applied, implying that for each position of the joint the total potential energy should be constant. To this end, a conventional balanced mechanism, consisting of two pivoted bodies which are balanced with two zero-free-length springs, is taken as an initial concept. The joint is replaced by a compliant cross-axis flexural pivot and each spring is replaced by a pair of compliant leaf springs. For both parts an analytic model was implemented and a configuration with the lowest energy fluctuation was found through optimization. A FEA model was used to verify the analytic model of the optimized design. A prototype was manufactured and tested. Both the FEA model and the experiment confirm the reduction of the needed moment to rotate the compliant joint. The experiment shows the balanced compliant joint is not completely balanced but the moment required to rotate the joint is reduced by 70%. Thus, a statically balanced compliant generic joint element was designed which bears great promise in designing statically balanced compliant mechanisms and making this accessible to any designer.


Metals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1664
Author(s):  
Do Hoon Cho ◽  
Seong Min Seo ◽  
Jang Baeg Kim ◽  
Sri Harini Rajendran ◽  
Jae Pil Jung

With the continuous miniaturization of electronic devices and the upcoming new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), fifth-generation cellular networks (5G), etc., the electronics industry is achieving high-speed, high-performance, and high-density electronic packaging. Three-dimensional (3D) Si-chip stacking using through-Si-via (TSV) and solder bumping processes are the key interconnection technologies that satisfy the former requirements and receive the most attention from the electronic industries. This review mainly includes two directions to get a precise understanding, such as the TSV filling and solder bumping, and explores their reliability aspects. TSV filling addresses the DRIE (deep reactive ion etching) process, including the coating of functional layers on the TSV wall such as an insulating layer, adhesion layer, and seed layer, and TSV filling with molten solder. Solder bumping processes such as electroplating, solder ball bumping, paste printing, and solder injection on a Cu pillar are discussed. In the reliability part for TSV and solder bumping, the fabrication defects, internal stresses, intermetallic compounds, and shear strength are reviewed. These studies aimed to achieve a robust 3D integration technology effectively for future high-density electronics packaging.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (22) ◽  
pp. 10831
Author(s):  
Jincheng Guo ◽  
Huaping Tang

This paper presents a stiffness-oriented structure topology optimization (TO) method for the design of a continuous, hinge-free compliant mechanism (CM). A synthesis formulation is developed to maximize the mechanism’s mutual potential energy (MPE) to achieve required structure flexibility while maximizing the desired stiffness to withstand the loads. Different from the general approach of maximizing the overall stiffness of the structure, the proposed approach can contribute to guiding the optimization process focus on the desired stiffness in a specified direction by weighting the related eigen-frequency of the corresponding eigenmode. The benefit from this is that we can make full use of the material in micro-level compliant mechanism designs. The single-node connected hinge issue which often happened in optimized design can be precluded by introducing the eigen-frequency constraint into this synthesis formulation. Several obtained hinge-free designs illustrate the validity and robustness of the presented method and offer an alternative method for hinge-free compliant mechanism designs.


Author(s):  
Hong Zhou ◽  
Kwun-Lon Ting

A three-dimensional wide curve is a spatial curve with variable cross sections. This paper introduces a geometric synthesis method for spatial compliant mechanisms by using three-dimensional wide curves. In this paper, every connection in a spatial compliant mechanism is represented by a three-dimensional wide curve and the whole spatial compliant mechanism is modeled as a set of connected three-dimensional wide curves. The geometric synthesis of a spatial compliant mechanism is considered as the generation and optimal selection of control parameters of the corresponding three-dimensional parametric wide curves. The deformation and performance of spatial compliant mechanisms are evaluated by the isoparametric degenerate-continuum nonlinear finite element procedure. The problem-dependent objectives are optimized and the practical constraints are imposed during the optimization process. The optimization problem is solved by the MATLAB constrained nonlinear programming algorithm. The effectiveness of the proposed geometric procedures is verified by the demonstrated examples.


2002 ◽  
Vol 124 (3) ◽  
pp. 479-484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolae Lobontiu ◽  
Jeffrey S. N. Paine

The paper introduces the circular cross-section corner-filleted flexure hinges as connectors in three-dimensional compliant mechanism applications. Compliance factors are derived analytically for bending, axial loading and torsion. A circular cross-section corner-filleted flexure hinge belongs to a domain delimited by the cylinder (no fillet) and the right circular cross-section flexure hinge (maximum fillet radius). The analytical model predictions are confirmed by finite element simulation and experimental measurements. The circular cross-section corner-filleted flexure hinges are characterized in terms of their compliance, precision of rotation and stress levels.


2005 ◽  
Vol 127 (5) ◽  
pp. 941-956 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Yu Wang ◽  
Shikui Chen ◽  
Xiaoming Wang ◽  
Yulin Mei

A monolithic compliant mechanism transmits applied forces from specified input ports to output ports by elastic deformation of its comprising materials, fulfilling required functions analogous to a rigid-body mechanism. In this paper, we propose a level-set method for designing monolithic compliant mechanisms made of multiple materials as an optimization of continuum heterogeneous structures. Central to the method is a multiphase level-set model that precisely specifies the distinct material regions and their sharp interfaces as well as the geometric boundary of the structure. Combined with the classical shape derivatives, the level-set method yields an Eulerian computational system of geometric partial differential equations, capable of performing topological changes and capturing geometric evolutions at the interface and the boundary. The proposed method is demonstrated for single-input and single-output mechanisms and illustrated with several two-dimensional examples of synthesis of multimaterial mechanisms of force inverters and gripping and clamping devices. An analysis on the formation of de facto hinges is presented based on the shape gradient information. A scheme to ensure a well-connected topology of the mechanism during the process of optimization is also presented.


2009 ◽  
Vol 131 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong Zhou ◽  
Kwun-Lon Ting

A three-dimensional wide curve is a spatial curve with variable cross sections. This paper introduces a geometric optimization method for spatial compliant mechanisms by using three-dimensional wide curves. In this paper, every material connection in a spatial compliant mechanism is represented by a three-dimensional wide curve and the whole spatial compliant mechanism is modeled as a set of connected three-dimensional wide curves. The geometric optimization of a spatial compliant mechanism is considered as the generation and optimal selection of the control parameters of the corresponding three-dimensional parametric wide curves. The deformation and performance of spatial compliant mechanisms are evaluated by the isoparametric degenerate-continuum nonlinear finite element procedure. The problem-dependent objectives are optimized and the practical constraints are imposed during the optimization process. The optimization problem is solved by the MATLAB constrained nonlinear programming algorithm.


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