Design and Modeling of a Curved Beam Compliant Mechanism with Six Degrees of Freedom.

Compliant mechanisms are widely used in cutting-edge scientific and technological fields such as precision engineering, micro-/nano-manipulation, or microelectronics. Hence, the demand for multi-degree-of-freedom compliant mechanisms has increased sharply. The structure of compliant mechanisms becomes increasingly complex with the increase of degrees of freedom. Here, a compliant mechanism with six degrees of freedom is proposed based on curved beams. The compliant mechanism has the advantages of simple structure and multi-degree-of-freedom. Using the isogeometric analysis method, a model of the mechanism is constructed. Static analysis show that six degrees of freedom can be generated. The prototype of the mechanism is developed by 3D printing. A loading test in six degrees of freedom is carried out. The output and input have high linear relations and the structure has low inter-directional coupling. We trust that this study provides a pioneering step towards the design of compliant mechanisms based on curved beam elements.