Structure design of three-limbed 6-DOF micromanipulator driven by piezoelectric actuators

A type of three-limbed 6-DOF parallel micromanipulator driven by piezoelectric actuators is presented for simplifying the complex structure and reducing the assembly error of the usual 6-limed ones. It is very compact and helpful to improve the accuracy for using the monolithic bottom stage and only three fixed-length rods with different flexure hinges at the two ends. The whole dimensions are determined by workspace demand after obtaining the inverse kinematics. According to the selection principle of the flexure hinges, the parameters of elastic plates and the hinges on the rods are designed. The finite element analysis methods are used for analyzing the stiffness and safety of the mechanism. The test results have shown the validity of the design.