Design and microfabrication of a constant-force microgripper

Abstract

The characterization process of micro- and submicrometre particles in some cases demands their careful handling and placement. In most cases, a well-designed microgripper can address these requirements. The following research is focused on the process of design, finite element analysis, and microfabrication of an innovative compliant constant-force microgripper. This new architecture enables microgripper to handle microcomponents under constant gripping force without using any force control system. This characteristic makes it outstanding in compare to the previous works in literature. The adopted fabrication process is a ultraviolet-assisted vertical etching on polyethylene terephthalate substrate. This process is a well-established process to offer the requirements of high resolution and high aspect ratio in microfabrication of plastic structures. The prototyped sample has been successfully tested and its performance during micro-assembly process has been verified.