Design and Analysis of a Flexure Based 3-DOF Micro Positioner

Haptic tele-operated systems are an interesting option for micro manipulation, because of their capability to combine the flexibility of a human operator with the precision of robots. Flexure based micro stages are very suitable for this application, as they offer high resolution positioning over small distances. The lack of backlash or friction in the joints improves the transparency of the system for the user. This paper presents the concept for a delta type compliant parallel mechanism for such application. An approximated analysis method for estimation of the stiffness of delta compliant robots is explained, and the mechanism is dimensioned accordingly. FEM simulations show the validity of the analysis method, and the feasibility of such a robot when used in haptic tele-operated micro manipulation applications. The same analysis method proves to be useful for the design of a family of similar robots with different specifications.Precision and Microsystems EngineeringMechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineerin