Spatial micromechanism employing compliant joints and electrothermal motors have been developed using a multilayer UV-LIGA fabrication process. The electrothermal linear motors employ sawtooth iinpactors to provide a synchronized locking/pushing motion, allowing continuous motion without the need for a separate clamping actuator. Using electrothermal actuators, the bi-directional linear motors provide displacements of 2 mm with speeds up to 3 mm/s and output forces up to 19 mN. In addition, four-layered nickel mechanisms have been fabricated with up to 3 degrees of freedom (DOF). This paper discusses the fabrication process, performance of the electrothermal actuators, and design of a fabricated 3 DOF spatial mechanism using a simple pseudo-rigid-body model.
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