Spatial Rotation and Translation Flexure Mechanism for Micromanipulator Application: Modelling and Optimization

Microactuators are developed based on the flexing properties of parts to create the desired movements. Advantages of compliant mechanisms include high precision motion, lightweight, no friction, and compactness. Therefore, replacing traditional mechanisms with compliant mechanisms is an effective solution. In this paper, a new structure approach such as the micro linear actuator applying to the micromanipulator was investigated and developed. The new concept in this research was to use the spline interpolation curve for designing the geometry of the flexure hinge of the cylindrical helix structure which directly transforms the rotation into linear motion. The proposed model was analyzed and simulated using the finite element method (FEM) incorporating the approaches of the hybrid Taguchi-Grey optimization to lead to the maximum displacement output and force reaction. The experiment matrix was designed using Taguchi's orthogonal array. The effect of the geometry parameter such as the thickness (t) of the flexure hinge, the height (h) of the helical link, and the parameter dimension of the spline interpolation on the displacement output and force reaction were analyzed. The stress distribution within the flexure hinge was also inspected. In order to determine the appropriate value for displacement output and force reaction, grey relation analysis was developed. The entropy method was applied to compute the relative weight of each response objective and increase the assessment accuracy. The result showed that a higher grey relation grade with the new combination levels. A verification simulation was performed to evaluate the effect of the method. The proposed hybrid optimization method can facilitate a powerful design process for micromanipulators and others.