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A hybrid manufacturing process for a microgripper using selective laser melting 3D printing and wire EDM

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Abstract

Flexure hinge-based actuators are useful devices that provide precise control over minute manipulations. It is impossible to manufacture the hinge using conventional machining processes because the flexure hinge is thin and has a high aspect ratio structure. Wire electrical discharge machining (wire EDM) is the only machining method for fabricating the device. Wire EDM is a precise method for manufacturing microstructures, but it has the disadvantage of a very slow machining speed. This study proposes a hybrid manufacturing process that uses selective laser melting (SLM) 3D printing and wire EDM to overcome the problem of production speed when manufacturing a flexure hinge-based microgripper. Metal 3D printing alone cannot produce the very thin structure needed for a microgripper. Therefore, the flexure hinges of the gripper were machined using wire EDM after the main structure was manufactured by 3D printing. This not only increased the production speed but also resulted in a more durable gripper. Repeated use of a conventional gripper causes fatigue fracture at the flexure hinge. However, manufacturing the gripper body using SLM metal 3D printing increased the hardness of the product due to the repeated melting and quenching of the material powder. The thermal process increased the fatigue life of the flexure hinge. Therefore, the microgripper manufactured by the proposed hybrid method had a longer endurance life than the gripper machined using only wire EDM. The proposed method is expected to improve the productivity and durability of a variety of flexure hinge-based devices, not just microgrippers.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government (MSIT) (No.2021R1A4A1033141).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Technical R&D Center, Bodyfriend Inc., Seoul, 06302, Korea

    Ki Young Song

  2. School of Mechanical Engineering, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, 28644, Korea

    Geon Hwee Kim & Jongho Shin

Authors
  1. Ki Young Song
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  2. Geon Hwee Kim
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  3. Jongho Shin
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jongho Shin.

Additional information

Ki Young Song received the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Seoul National University in 2008 and 2013, respectively. He works in Soongsil University, Seoul, Korea, as an Assistant Professor. Since 2022, he has joined the technical R&D center of Bodyfriend Inc., as a director. His research interests include manufacturing process and machine design.

Geon Hwee Kim received his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from POSTECH in 2013, and his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from POSTECH in 2019. Until 2020, he worked in the Samsung Electronics Semiconductor Processing Development Group, Hwaseong, Korea, as a staff engineer and conducted research about correction techniques of E-beam lithography. Since 2020, he has joined the Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea. His research interests include 3D printing, micro-nano structure fabrication and wearable sensors.

Jongho Shin received his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Soongsil University in 2005, and his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Seoul National University in 2011. Until 2019, he worked in the Agency for Development, Daejeon, Korea, as a senior researcher and developed the autonomous ground vehicle. Since 2019, he has joined the Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea. His research interests include autonomous system, machine learning and nonlinear adaptive control.

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Song, K.Y., Kim, G.H. & Shin, J. A hybrid manufacturing process for a microgripper using selective laser melting 3D printing and wire EDM. J Mech Sci Technol 37, 1931–1937 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-023-0330-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-023-0330-z

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