A methodology for the selection of micro-assembly techniques

Journal article (2010)

Authors

D Antonelli External organisation
G Fantoni External organisation
M Porta Micro and Nano Engineering - Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering
M Santochi External organisation
Research Group
Micro and Nano Engineering (Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering) (TU Delft)
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Published Date

2010

Language

English

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Faculty

Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering

Department

Precision and Microsystems Engineering

Research Group

Micro and Nano Engineering

Abstract

The study addressed the problem of selecting the appropriate microassembly
techniques according to the micro-part features. Actually, in the micro-domain, the choice of
the correct assembly technique is highly dependent on the micro-part characteristics such as shape,
geometry and material. Approach: Since there was an incomplete and unstructured knowledge about
the micro-assembly, the study proposed a Decision Support System (DSS) as solution for assisting the
designer in the correct selection of the most suitable micro-assembly strategies. The first step was
establishing a structured correlation between micro-assembly techniques and part features. In particular
the phases grasping and releasing were adopted as test-study for their importance in the microassembly
process. The second step was the set up of a multistage model for the selection of the
grasping-releasing technique and the implementation of the model in an Expert System as a set of
rules. Results: The DSS was tested on some common micro-parts producing a scored list of selected
grasping-releasing methods. Conclusion: The DSS proved quite valuable in the selection and the
scoring of the micro-assembly principles that suit specific applications.