Development of a micro-bellows actuator using micro-stereolithography technology

Worldwide, many micro-actuators have been developed for various applications in biotechnology, biochemistry, micro-sensors, etc. However, most of these actuators have been made using 2D-based micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology, so they cannot perform long-travel 3D motion. This substantially limits the applications of these actuators. In this study, we developed a new bellows-shaped micro-actuator using micro-stereolithography (MSTL) technology, which makes it possible to fabricate complex 3D micro structures. The total travel and 3D motion of the new actuator could be easily adjusted during the design process. Using a finite element method (FEM) simulation, the actuation characteristics were analyzed and compared with experimental results. The analysis verified the adjustability of the total travel. In addition, to demonstrate the feasibility of the actuation principle in 3D space, two different kinds of micro-gripper were successfully demonstrated. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.