Design of a Piezoelectric-Actuated Microgripper With a Three-Stage Flexure-Based Amplification

TLDR

The paper introduces a novel microgripper for micromanipulation and assembly. The microgripper uses a piezoelectric actuator with a three‑stage flexure amplification, and its kinematic, static, and dynamic models were developed and optimized, with finite‑element analysis guiding design and wire‑EDM fabrication of a monolithic structure. Experiments demonstrate a maximum jaw stroke of 190 μm at 100 V, an amplification ratio of 22.8, and a working‑mode frequency of 953 Hz.

Abstract

This paper presents a novel microgripper mechanism for micromanipulation and assembly. The microgripper is driven by a piezoelectric actuator, and a three-stage flexure-based amplification has been designed to achieve large jaw displacements. The kinematic, static and dynamic models of the microgripper have been established and optimized considering the crucial parameters that determine the characteristics of the microgripper. Finite element analysis was conducted to evaluate the characteristics of the microgripper, and wire electro discharge machining technique was utilized to fabricate the monolithic structure of the microgripper mechanism. Experimental tests were carried out to investigate the performance of the microgripper and the results show that the microgripper can grasp microobjects with the maximum jaw motion stroke of 190 μm corresponding to the 100-V applied voltage. It has an amplification ratio of 22.8 and working mode frequency of 953 Hz.