Design method for 3D printed compliant mechanisms

There are strict tolerances on the placement of optical components in high performance optical systems. Compliant alignment mechanisms can be used to meet these tolerances. Conventional manufacturing techniques, such as milling and spark erosion, have been used to produce an extensive library of alignment solutions but are limited in the geometries they can produce. Metal 3D printing (SLM) is a newer manufacturing method that can produce complex geometries in a large design space with unique limitations but has no extensive library of solutions. A design method is proposed to construct building blocks for concept generation as a foundation for this library. The method aims at achieving this by reducing the size of the solution space, dividing it into separate constraint combinations. These constraint combinations and tools to develop them into building blocks are presented as tables with geometries and a flowchart describing their use. The design method is demonstrated by applying it towards the development of a compact, low-mass mechanism with three independent alignment stages. FEM analysis and a prototype in Ti6Al4V are used to explore some of the properties and manufacturability of this demonstration case.Mechanical Engineering | Micro-optics and Optomechatronic