A Flexure-Based Kinematically Decoupled Micropositioning Stage With a Centimeter Range Dedicated to Micro/Nano Manufacturing

Abstract

Precision positioning stages with large strokes and high positioning accuracy are attractive for high-performance micro/nano manufacturing. This paper presents the dynamic design and characteristic investigation of a novel XY micropositioning stage. First, the mechanism of the stage was introduced. The XY stage was directly driven by two linear motors, and the X - and Y -axes kinematic decoupling was realized through a novel flexible decoupling mechanism based on the flexure hinges and preloaded spring. The dynamic model of the XY stage was established, and the influences of the rotational stiffness of the flexure hinge and the initial positions of the working table on the dynamic rotation of the positioning stage were investigated. The stiffness and geometric parameters of the flexure hinges were determined at the condition that the angular displacements of the working table were within ±0.5° with a motion stroke of ±25 mm. Finally the stage performance was investigated through simulation and experiments, and the X - and Y -axes step responses, the rotation angle, and positioning accuracy of the stage were obtained. The results show that the stage exhibits good performance and can be used for micro/nano manufacturing.