Abstract
In this paper, a novel micro-positioning device based on a 3D digital actuator is presented. The proposed system allows realizing planar motions of micro-objects, which could be implemented in several applications where micro-positioning tasks are needed such as micro-component manufacturing/assembly, biomedicine, scanning microscopy, etc. The device has three degrees of freedom, and it is able to achieve planar motions of a mobile plate in the xy-plane at two different levels along the z-axis. It consists of a hexagonal mobile part composed of a permanent magnet that can reach twelve discrete positions distributed between two z-axis levels (six at each level). Two different approaches are presented to perform positioning tasks of the plate using the digital actuator: the stick-slip and the lift-mode approaches. A comparison between these two approaches is provided on the basis of the plate displacement with respect to different current values and conveyed mass. It was observed that for a current of 2 A, the actuator is able to displace a mass of 1.15 g over a distance of 0.08 mm. The optimal positioning range of the planar device was found to be ±5.40 mm and ±7.05 mm along the x- and y-axis, respectively.
Highlights
Its mobile part consists of a hexagonal Mobile Permanent Magnet (MPM) placed in a fixed hexagonal cavity
A z-axis retainer is fixed at the bottom of the MPM to define the actuator stroke along the z-axis (Figure 1a)
Images were captured by the camera before and after the MPM switch, and the strokes were measured five times
Summary
Micro-positioning devices enable precise motions of micro-objects from one point to another one, generally in the xy-plane. These devices play a key role in the micromanipulation tasks in micro-factories to ensure the positioning of objects between different manufacturing and assembly stations. The performances of these stations and of the microfactory are strongly dependent on the characteristics of these micro-positioning devices such as the production rate, flexibility, precision, and energy consumption. Positioning with the help of long-range actuators is mostly carried out using the analogical principle due to their high precision and good position repeatability
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