Design and Optimization for a New XYZ Micropositioner with Embedded Displacement Sensor for Biomaterial Sample Probing Application

An XYZ compliant micropositioner has been widely mentioned in precision engineering, but the displacements in the X, Y, and Z directions are often not the same. In this study, a design and optimization for a new XYZ micropositioner are developed to obtain three same displacements in three axes. The proposed micropositioner is a planar mechanism whose advantage is a generation of three motions with only two actuators. In the design strategy, the proposed micropositioner is designed by a combination of a symmetrical four-lever displacement amplifier, a symmetrical parallel guiding mechanism, and a symmetrical parallel redirection mechanism. The Z-shaped hinges are used to gain motion in the Z-axis displacement. Four flexure right-circular hinges are combined with two rigid joints and two flexure leaf hinges to permit two large X-and-Y displacements. The symmetrical four-lever displacement amplifier is designed to increase the micropositioner’s travel. The displacement sensor is built by embedding the strain gauges on the hinges of the micropositioner, which is developed to measure the travel of the micropositioner. The behaviors and performances of the micropositioner are modeled by using the Taguchi-based response surface methodology. Additionally, the geometrical factors of the XYZ micropositioner are optimized by teaching–learning-based optimization. The optimized design parameters are defined with an A of 0.9 mm, a B of 0.8 mm, a C of 0.57 mm, and a D of 0.7 mm. The safety factor gains 1.85, while the displacement achieves 515.7278 µm. The developed micropositioner is a potential option for biomedical sample testing in a nanoindentation system.