A compact low-cost XY360° stage

using Arduino and PWM based amplifiers

Master thesis (2019)

Authors

W.M. Jutte Mechanical Engineering

Contributors

J.W. Spronck Mechatronic Systems Design - Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering (supervisor 1)
N. Saikumar Mechatronic Systems Design - Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering (supervisor 2)
Gleb Vdovin Team Raf Van de Plas - Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering (supervisor 2)
Faculty
Mechanical Engineering
Copyright: © 2019 Wouter Jutte
Arduino Ferrofluid Precision engineering Positioning stage Pulse width modulation XY360
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Published Date

26-03-2019

Language

English

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Faculty

Mechanical Engineering

Abstract

The application of actively controlled micrometer precision positioning stages in products that are accessible to start-ups, individual consumers or third world countries is currently limited by their price and size. To solve this problem, the use of low-cost and compact components in stages is investigated. Earlier research done in the MSD group already showed that relatively low-cost sensor concepts and mechanical designs can be applied to significantly reduce the price of stages, while still achieving sub-micrometer precision. In this research, the applicability of the Arduino Due micro-controller (€40) and amplifiers based on Pulse Width Modulation (PWM, €6) in precision stages is investigated. The use of
cheap components doesn’t come without its drawbacks. To name a few examples, the Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) in the Arduino doesn’t have the resolution of higher quality components, PWM adds frequency content to the output of the amplifier and the Arduino processor isn’t as fast. In this research project, an extensive theoretical analysis is done to reveal how the components affect the overall performance of the stage, which can then be used to optimize system parameters to circumvent the performance losses that are inevitable with cheap components. This way much of the overall system performance can
be maintained. The theory is experimentally validated and the Arduino and PWM based amplifiers are successfully implemented into a working prototype with a precision of 1.5μm.