Design of grasping interface for microgrippers and micro-parts used in the microassembly of MEMS

This paper presents guidelines for designing the grasping interface between passive, surface micromachined microgrippers and micro-parts used for a microassembly system. The microassembly system is based on a robotic workstation, to which a microgripper is bonded. The workstation is capable of sequentially assembling surface micromachined micro-parts into 3D micro structures. The microgrippers and micro-parts are designed in such a way, that they each have corresponding geometrical features, which allow them to interface with each other. Previously, this work demonstrated the use of a standardized microgripper tip, and the corresponding micro-part interface feature. However, there are situations when the standardized interface feature may be undesirable for a particular micro-part, or may interfere with the performance of a micro structure. Therefore, a set of new design guidelines are presented to modularize the design of the microgrippers tips and the corresponding micro-part interface features. By using the modular design, microgrippers can be tailored to grasp specific types of micro-parts, without the need for a standardized interface feature. An example of the new modular system is provided.