Design strategies for large range flexure mechanisms

The moving parts in a mechanical device often rely on rolling or sliding contacts such as in ball bearings to gain motion. These suffice in many applications, but the friction inherent to their working principle limits their motion repeatability and thereby their precision. Flexure mechanisms are a popular alternative in the field of precision...

A Flexure-Based Linear Guide With Torsion Reinforcement Structures

In this study, a flexure-based (compliant) linear guide with a motion range comparable to its footprint is presented. The design consists of two-folded leaf springs on which torsion reinforcement structures are added. Due to these structures, only two-folded leaf springs are needed instead of a minimum of five as in preexisting designs. The...

A new type of spherical flexure joint based on tetrahedron elements

In this paper we present two new designs of spherical flexure joints, which are the compliant equivalent of a traditional ball-and-socket joint. The designs are formed by tetrahedron-shaped elements, each composed of three blade flexures with a trapezoidal shape, that are connected in series without intermediate bodies. This is new with...

Inspiration from folding patterns

Origami is generally associated with decorative art, not the engineering<br/>world. For some time now, however, engineers have been using the gigantic<br/>database of origami folding patterns as inspiration for designing deployable<br/>mechanisms that can be fabricated efficiently from a flat sheet material.<br/>Most of these mechanisms do not...

Modeling and design of origami mechanisms with compliant facets

Origami mechanisms are fabricated from a simple sheet material, but can exhibit complex motions in 3D. Advantages are a planar fabrication process and the inherent deployability. Almost all current origami mechanisms are being designed on the premise of rigid facets. In this research, flexible facets are used to incorporate spring behavior. A...