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Z-Shaped Electrothermal Microgripper Based on Novel Asymmetric Actuator
Margarita Tecpoyotl-Torres1, Pedro Vargas-Chable1,2, Jesus Escobedo-Alatorre1
1Centro de Investigación en Ingeniería y Ciencias Aplicadas (IICBA-CIICAp), Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Básicas y Aplicadas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Cuernavaca, Morelos 62209, Mexico.
Micromachines
|September 23, 2022
Summary
Modified microactuators show significantly increased force and displacement for microgrippers. These V-shaped microactuators, optimized for length and width, offer enhanced performance with safe stress levels.
Area of Science:
- Mechanical Engineering
- Materials Science
- Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS)
Background:
- Microactuators are crucial components in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS).
- V-shaped microactuators are commonly used but have limitations in force and displacement.
- Optimizing microactuator design is essential for enhancing microgripper performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of modifying the length and width of a V-shaped microactuator.
- To theoretically and numerically characterize the performance of a modified microactuator.
- To evaluate the modified microactuator's suitability for a novel microgripper design.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical analysis and numerical simulations were performed on modified microactuators.
- Performance metrics including force, displacement, stress, and natural frequency were evaluated.
- Comparisons were made against a standard V-shaped microactuator and a microactuator with equal beam widths.
Main Results:
- The modified microactuator demonstrated a 370.48% increase in force and a 29.8% decrease in displacement compared to the V-shaped actuator at 2 V.
- Equivalent von Mises stress increased to 74.2 MPa, remaining below silicon's ultimate stress limit.
- In the microgripper application, jaw displacement increased from 0.85 µm to 4.85 µm, force from 42.11 mN to 73.61 mN, and natural frequency from 11.36 kHz to 37.99 kHz.
Conclusions:
- The modified microactuator, incorporating damping elements, significantly enhances microgripper functionality.
- The design maintains a reduced area while improving key performance indicators like force, displacement, and natural frequency.
- The observed temperature increase to 73 °C is acceptable for many microobject manipulation tasks.
