Design and development of flexible clamp with force feedback control adapted to X-ray microscopy in vacuum chamber

With the rapid progress of technology and metrology, micro-nanoscale microscopy has become prerequisite for precision engineering. X-ray microscopy iis recently in the limelight due to its excellent three-dimensional spatial resolution and up to microsecond time resolution. Many breakthrough novel scientific discoveries are contributed to the development of X-ray microscopy. Manual sample operation process in vacuum chamber of X-ray microscopy is a time- and energy-consuming task. Manipulators/grippers applied to the vacuum chamber should be able to automatically execute in the narrow space of X-ray microscope. Because environmental temperature fluctuation can cause obvious error for X-ray microscope, Monitoring equipment with high heat generation cannot be used. This thesis present the design and development of three jaw grippers adapted to vacuum chamber in X-ray microscope. Compliant mechanism is widely used among precision engineering due to its lubricant-free, reduction of mechanical element and having no backlash. We use the linear motor module with bridge-type mechanical amplifier developing compliant grippers with parallel opening and auto-centered function. We developed a dynamic model through pseudo rigid body model to anticipate the dynamic performance of the gripper. Further with two dimensional finite element method analysis, a parameterized model was build, which can apply for different grasping requisition. In this paper, the developed compliant gripper has full length of 95 mm, radial width of 34 mm. Gripper can produce more than 4 mm opening, and subject to more than 200 gwf axial force. Use strain gauge replace substitute vision imaging system can reduce thermal fluctuation and capable of real-time monitoring.