Fabrication, Experiments, and Analysis of an LBM Additive-Manufactured Flexure Parallel Mechanism.

Huaxian Wei,Jian Zhang,Xiaodong Niu,Li Wang,Alessandro Simeone

doi:10.3390/mi9110572

Abstract

Additive manufacturing technology has advantages for realizing complex monolithic structures, providing huge potential for developing advanced flexure mechanisms for precision manipulation. However, the characteristics of flexure hinges fabricated by laser beam melting (LBM) additive manufacturing (AM) are currently little known. In this paper, the fabrication and characterization of a flexure parallel mechanism through the LBM process are reported for the first time to demonstrate the development of this technique. The geometrical accuracy of the additive-manufactured flexure mechanism was evaluated by three-dimensional scanning. The stiffness characteristics of the flexure mechanism were investigated through finite element analysis and experimental tests. The effective hinge thickness was determined based on the parameters study of the flexure parallel mechanism. The presented results highlight the promising outlook of LBM flexure parts for developing novel nanomanipulation platforms, while additional attention is required for material properties and manufacturing errors.

Highlights

Flexure mechanisms have been widely utilized as the basic platforms in ultra-precise manipulation, such as semiconductor manufacturing, microassembly, and atomic force microscopy [1,2,3,4]
Figure 77..MMeaeasusurerdedpapraarsaitsiictircotraottiaotnios nosf tohfe tmhoevminogvbinlogckbolofctkheoLfBtMheadLdBiMtivea-dmdaitnivuefa-mctaunreudfaflcetuxruerde pflaerxaulrleelpmaerachllaelnmismechwainthisrmefwerietnhcreetfoertehnecde otomtihneatdinogmtirnaantsinlagtitornaanlsldaitsipolnaacledmisepnltasc. ements. It can be concluded from the results that the presented laser beam melting (LBM) additive-manufactured flexure parallel mechanism has the linear stiffness characteristics of flexure mechanisms fabricated by. It can be concluded from the results that the presented LBM additive-manufactured flexure parallel mechanism has the linear stiffness characteristics of flexure mechanisms fabricated by traditional processes such as wire-EDM
Additional issues related to manufacturing errors, material properties, and process parameters should be taken into consideration when developing flexure mechanisms intended for metallic additive manufacturing

Summary

Introduction

Flexure mechanisms (or compliant mechanisms) have been widely utilized as the basic platforms in ultra-precise manipulation, such as semiconductor manufacturing, microassembly, and atomic force microscopy [1,2,3,4]. Flexure mechanisms can realize monolithic and compact designs for high speed and vacuum applications [5]. Most of flexure mechanisms are fabricated through computer numerical controlled (CNC) milling or wire electrical discharge machining (wire-EDM), since the flexure hinges within the structure are generally slim and weak [6]. The manufacturing technique is an important issue especially when developing complex flexure mechanisms. Many existing parallel flexure mechanisms are generally divided into subparts that are fabricated separately and eventually assembled together [7,8]. The demand of light-weight and nonassembly products is increasing in many advanced technologies, such as in surgical and aerospace applications, where compact and complex flexure mechanisms are required [10]. The advantages of freeform fabrication of the additive manufacturing (AM or 3D printing) provide great potential for developing complex flexure mechanisms

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion