Rapidly Prototyped Orthotweezers for Automated Microassembly

We describe the design, fabrication, and testing of an ultra-low cost orthotweezers system for microassembly. By utilizing rapid prototyping technology, compliant mechanisms, and commodity-grade actuators and sensors, we significantly reduce the complexity and cost of the previous Orthotweezers system without sacrificing functionality. With a force resolution of 0.7mN and a worst case mean positioning repeatability of 23 mum, the system is capable of dexterously manipulating rectangular parts with dimensions 200 mum times 200 mum times 100 mum. Such blocks can then be temporarily attached to thin, delicate, or oddly shaped parts to enable handling and ultimately assembly of micromechanical structures. Strategies for using compliance to compensate for uncertainty introduced by less expensive fabrication methods, actuators, and sensors are also discussed.