A novel methodology for the development of compliant mechanisms with application to feed units

This paper highlights the process of developing compliant mechanisms. Because of their high precision and the absence of friction compliant mechanisms are especially suitable for the use in micro manufacturing. In the following a systematic methodology of the development process is presented, including the design process, the realization of a mechanism and an application for feed units. At the first stage of design the topology of a compliant mechanism and the geometry of the flexure hinges are generated applying optimization methods. Afterwards efficient modeling strategies are applied to ensure dynamic models with high accuracy and manageable size for further investigations. Using these models an open-loop control is designed by means of mathematical trajectory optimization. At the final stage models and open-loop control are applied to design a closed-loop control completing the feed unit. This holistic approach reduces time and effort of the development process significantly. It supports the developer in creating reliable and innovative compliant mechanisms for a wide range of applications.