A Modified U-Shaped Micro-Actuator with a Compliant Mechanism Applied to a Microgripper
Pedro Vargas-Chable,
Margarita Tecpoyotl-Torres,
Ramon Cabello-Ruiz,
Jose Alfredo Rodriguez-Ramirez,
Rafael Vargas-Bernal
Affiliations
Pedro Vargas-Chable
Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Básicas y Aplicadas-Centro de Investigación en Ingenieria y Ciencias Aplicadas (IICBA-CIICAp), Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos (UAEM), Cuernavaca 62209, Mor., Mexico
Margarita Tecpoyotl-Torres
Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Básicas y Aplicadas-Centro de Investigación en Ingenieria y Ciencias Aplicadas (IICBA-CIICAp), Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos (UAEM), Cuernavaca 62209, Mor., Mexico
Ramon Cabello-Ruiz
Universidad Tecnológica Emiliano Zapata, Emiliano Zapata 62765, Mor., Mexico
Jose Alfredo Rodriguez-Ramirez
Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Básicas y Aplicadas-Centro de Investigación en Ingenieria y Ciencias Aplicadas (IICBA-CIICAp), Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos (UAEM), Cuernavaca 62209, Mor., Mexico
Rafael Vargas-Bernal
Departamento de Ingeniería en Materiales, Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Irapuato (ITESI). Carretera Irapuato- Silao Km 12.5, Col. El Copal. Irapuato 36821, Gto., Mexico
In this paper, a modified U-shaped micro-actuator with a compliant mechanism is proposed. It was analyzed with a uniform and modified thin arm, as well as a similar variation in the corresponding flexure, in order to observe the impact of the compliant lumped mechanism. The use of these compliant mechanisms implies an increment in the deformation and a reduction in the equivalent stress of 25% and 52.25%, respectively. This characterization was developed using the Finite Element Method (FEM) in ANSYS Workbench. The design, analysis and simulation were developed with Polysilicon. In this study, the following performance parameters were also analyzed: force and temperature distribution. This device is supplied with voltage from 0 V up to 3 V, at room temperature. The modified U-shaped actuator was applied in both arms of a microgripper, and to evaluate its electrothermal performance, a static structural analysis has been carried out in Ansys Workbench. The microgripper has an increment in deformation of 22.33%, an equivalent stress reduction of 50%, and a decrease in operation frequency of 10.8%. The force between its jaws is of 367 µN. This low level of force could be useful when sensitive particles are manipulated.
