Design and simulation study for an electro-thermally actuated micromanipulator

New design for an electro-thermally actuated SU-8 polymeric microgrippers is presented, simulated and analyzed. The electro-thermally driven microgrippers were studied using computer simulations (the Finite Element Method using CoventorWare software tool). Numerical simulations - coupled electro-thermo-mechanical simulations - were performed. We investigated the influence of the temperatures achieved in the microgripers´ arms and the deflections of the tips, as functions of the applied voltages. A numerical simulation of the electro-thermo-mechanical behaviour of the microgrippers has been done and an evaluation of the results obtained from simulations (using FEM) was performed. The simulations results show a good mechanical behaviour of the micromanipulator in order to operate in air.