This paper presents the research and development of a 3–legged micro parallel kinematic manipulator (PKM) for positioning in micromachining and assembly operations. The structural characteristics associated with parallel manipulators are evaluated and the PKMs with translational and rotational movements are identified. Based on these identifications, a hybrid 3–UPU (universal joint–prismatic joint–universal joint) parallel manipulator is designed and fabricated. The principles of the operation and modelling of this micro PKM are largely similar to a normal-sized Stewart platform (SP). The overall size of the platform is contained within a space of 300 mm×300 mm×300 mm. A modular design methodology is introduced for the construction of this micro PKM. Calibration results of this hybrid 3–UPU PKM are discussed in this paper.