A Flexible and Compact High Precision Micro-Factory for Low Volume Production and Lab-Automation

Current factories for applications on the microscale use a relative large base-area and are highly adapted to a specific task. Additionally, these factories are extremely expensive and therefore not reasonable for production lines with low production volumes or lab environments. Therefore, a novel type of micro-factory is needed, satisfying the goals of high precision, fast reconfigurability, easy use of telecontrol and support for automation. A mechanical system that fulfills the requirements of high precision and fast reconfigurability is presented. The system is controlled by a software framework that allows for telecontrolled manipulation as well as for fully automated sequences. The framework features image-processing, hardware-control and scripted automation. The system at hand is a lab-prototype, already reaching precisions better than 100 nm and is easily controllable using gamepads or haptic devices.