Extensive cost, time and effort associated with setting up a production line often inhibits transitioning novel ideas into commercialized products. Sustainable revenue generation in such enterprises requires production in large quantities in order to lower the unit cost, and thus improving the marketability. Although this model has been successful and is being followed by most of the industries today, it also limits the scope for new, non-conventional products; especially in the early stages of development where manufacturing risks are higher. One way of reducing this risk can be through improving the reusability of the manufacturing hardware, thus allowing quick and inexpensive transition among different iterations and even different products with the same set of hardware. In this paper, we present such a novel and revolutionary solution for flexible manufacturing. Consisting of a unique set of hardware and software innovations, our proposed system offers a viable way to low volume manufacturing and low risk prototyping of novel product ideas. Called as the “Modular and Reconfigurable Manufacturing Cell (MRMC)”, this proposed system enables quick and easy setting up of a fully automated robotic manipulation and assembly platform, optimized for specific products. The system relies on a novel and proprietary multifunctional interconnect design, built-in to various hardware modules of the system, and a distributed intelligence based self-locating software architecture to achieve almost any possible assembler configuration that is suitable for a specific set of tasks. Necessary and sufficient precision level is maintained via a novel precision optimized hybrid controller and path planner throughout the automation. Competitive specifications in terms of travel range, resolution, accuracy, repeatability, force output, size, weight, power ratings etc., as compared to standard commercial manipulators, has been experimentally verified for the proposed Modular and Reconfigurable Manufacturing Cell (MRMC).

Reliable manufacturability has always been a major issue in commercialization of complex and heterogeneous microsystems. Though successful for simpler and monolithic microdevices such as accelerometers and pressure sensors of early days, conventional surface micromachining techniques, and in-plane mechanisms do not prove suffice to address the manufacturing of today's wide range of microsystem designs. This has led to the evolution of microassembly as an alternative and enabling technology which can, in principle, build complex systems by assembling heterogeneous microparts of comparatively simpler design; thus reducing the overall footprint of the device and providing high structural rigidity in a cost efficient manner. However, unlike in macroscale assembly systems, microassembly does not enjoy the flexibility of having ready-to-use manipulation systems or standard off-the-shelf components. System specific designs of microparts and mechanisms make the fabrication process expensive and assembly scheme diverse. This warrants for a modular microassembly cell which can execute the assembly process of multiple microsystems by reconfiguring the kinematics setup, end-effectors, feedback system, etc.; thus minimizing the cost of production. In this paper, we present a multiscale assembly and packaging system (MAPS) comprising of 20 degrees of freedom (DoFs) that can be arranged in several reconfigurable micromanipulation modules depending on the specific task. The system has been equipped with multiple custom-designed microgrippers and end-effectors for different applications. Stereo microscopic vision is achieved through four high-resolution cameras. We will demonstrate the construction of two different microsystems using this microassembly cell; the first one is a miniature optical spectrum analyzer called microspectrometer and the second one is a MEMS mobile robot/conveyor called Arripede.

The design of a robotic manipulator, including the type of joints, actuators, and other geometric parameters significantly affects its precision (or positioning uncertainty) at the end-effector. Furthermore, sensor and actuator resolution and choice of control scheme will also contribute to the manipulator's precision. Modeling and simulation of these uncertainties can provide useful insight and serve as design guidelines for precision manipulators used in micro and nanomanufacturing. Of particular interest are assembly scenarios where the tolerance budgets are stringent and precision requirements are high, but there is little space for extensive sensor feedback due to a small work volume. In this paper, we investigate the effect of parametric uncertainties in a serial robot chain composed of prismatic or rotary “modules” on the overall positioning uncertainty at the end-effector. Two types of errors are considered: static errors due to misalignment and link parameter uncertainties, and dynamic errors due to inaccurate motion of individual links. Using common uncertainty metrics, we compare the precision of six different robot kinematic chain configurations and select the best suited ones for a generic Peg-in-Hole microassembly task.

Microassembly is an enabling technology for micro manufacturing that offers well-known pathways to building heterogeneous microsystems with a higher degree of robustness and more complex designs than monolithic fabrication. The success of assembly in micro domain, however, is directly related to the level of precision automation employed. Control and planning are two defining factors for the microassembly yield and its cycle time. Assembly at the microscale harbors many difficult challenges due to scaling of physics, stringent tolerance budget, high precision requirements, limited work volumes, and so on. These difficulties warrant new control and planning algorithms, different than their macro-scale counterparts. In this paper, we use precision metrics to formalize a hybrid controller for automated MEMS assembly. In the past, we formulated the “high yield assembly condition (HYAC)”, which gives a quantitative condition for the success and failure of compliant microassembly. Using this quatitative tool, we formalize a precision-adjusted hybrid controller switching between open, closed, and calibrated operation in the microassembly cell. Simulation and experimental results for the assembly of a microspectrometer are presented to indicate that the proposed hybrid controller lead to high yields at faster cycle times than traditional precision control methods.

The dawn of next generation robots and systems era which is quietly emerging, requires miniaturized and integrated sensors, actuators, and entire microrobots. One of the defining characteristics of these microsystems is their multiscale nature, e.g., the span of their size, features, and tolerances across multiple dimensional scales, from the meso to the micro and nanoscales. Another defining characteristic is the need to reliably integrate heterogeneous materials via assembly and packaging, in a cost-effective manner, even in low quantities. Thus, it is argued in this paper that cost-effective manufacturing of complex microsystems requires special precision robotic assembly cells with modular and reconfigurable characteristics. This paper presents recent research aimed at developing theoretical underpinnings for how to construct such a manufacturing platform. M3is a multirobot system spanning across the macro-meso-microscales and specifically configured to package. The M3robots are systematically characterized in terms of quasi-static precision measures and assembly plans are generated using kinematic identification, inverse kinematics and visual servoing. The advantage of our approach the fact that high assembly yields for our system are a consequence of a set of so-called precision resolution-repeatability-accuracy (RRA) rules introduced in this paper. Experimental results for packaging of a microelectromechanical systems switch are provided to support our findings.

Recent advances in 2frac12D and 3D hybrid microassembly using MEMS snap fasteners and die-level bonding for interconnects, makes possible the miniaturization of exciting new small robots configured for various functions, such as flying, crawling, or jumping. ARRIpede is one example of a ldquodie-sizerdquo crawling microrobot constructed by assembly and die stacking. It consists of a MEMS die ldquobodyrdquo, in-plane electrothermal actuators, vertically assembled legs, and an electronic ldquobackpackrdquo to generate the necessary gait sequence. The robot has been designed using a stick-slip simulation model for a target volume of 1.5 cm times 1.5 cm times 0.5 cm, a 3.8 g mass, and velocities up to 3 mm/s. Even though work remains to be completed in packaging the robot, we demonstrated that the robot design is sound by experimentally evaluating the leg actuation force, the payload carrying capacity, the power consumption, and the manipulation ability of an inverted ARRIpede prototype. A configuration that carries a payload approximately equal to its own weight shows excellent steering ability. A reasonable match between simulations and experiments is noted, for example, when the legs are actuated at 45 Hz and 10 V, the crawling velocity of the microrobot was experimentally measured to be 0.84 mm/s or 18.7 mum per step, while the simulated leg displacement was 18.5 mum per step. The prototyped ldquoconveyorrdquo mode had a maximum measured linear velocity in excess of 1.5 mm/s, while consuming approximately 500 mW of power. We expect that for achieving lower speeds, such as 0.15 mm/s, the power consumption can be reduced to a few mW, enabling untethered operation.

One of the major issues enduring with micro-scale mechanics has been to design high fidelity miniature machines capable of performing complex operations. Though achieved in some proportion through conventional in-plane and out-of-plane designs, the efficacy of such micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) structures is highly limited due to complicate fabrication and inadequate robustness. On the other hand, the use of precise robots to assemble MEMS parts of comparatively simpler design to build 3D micromechanical structures has recently emerged as a viable approach. Such modular assemblies of microscale parts typically utilize minimum energy connectors that are multifunctional, e.g., mechanical, electrical etc. The μ3is a 3D microassembly station consisting of 19 DOF arranged into 3 micromanipulators, with additional microgrippers and stereo microscope vision. The platform is capable of motion resolutions of 3nm and is small enough to be used inside of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) for nano-manipulation. In this paper we discuss how systematic identification and calibration of the station, combined with appropriate part connector designs can lead to multi-degree of freedom active MEMS robots assembled on a wafer

This paper presents recent results in configuring a multiscale (macro-micro) robotic assembly platform with modular and reconfigurable characteristics. M3 is a multi-robot system capable of spanning across the macro-meso-micro scales, and has been specifically designed to package MOEMS (Micro Opto Electro Mechanical Systems). The emphasis on packaging (as opposed to assembly) is inclusive of the latter, but it also recognizes that bonding, sealing and attachment processes must also be controlled, and will greatly influence the reliability of the microsystem. The system components include precision robots, microstages, end-effectors and fixtures that accomplish assembly tasks in a shared workspace. The system components are systematically characterized in terms of accuracy and repeatability, and assembly plans are performed using kinematic identification, visual servoing, inverse kinematics, and dynamic vibration suppression. As an application packaging problem, various micro and mesoscale parts are assembled into a MEMS device. The tolerance budget of assembly ranges from 4 microns to 300 microns, while the size of components in the assembly ranges from 126 microns to 30mm. Various end-effectors and fixtures have been designed for use with off-the-shelf hardware (robots and microstages) and were tested for precision performance. The robots are calibrated to accuracies of 10 microns or less. In this paper we present experimental results of precision robot calibration and visual servoing for fiber pigtailing with one of the robots within M3

This paper presents advancement in microassembly and packaging automation accomplished using multiscale robotic platforms. We introduce M3and mu3- two unique multiscale platforms (M3- macro-meso-micro; mu3$meso-micro-nano). The robots with their corresponding end-effectors are characterized in terms of accuracy, repeatability and resolution in positioning. A typical assembly application in the M3consists of components whose size range from 126 microns to 25 millimeters and the typical assembly tolerances range from 4 microns to 300 microns. A typical assembly application for mu3consists of manipulating components mum to 1mm in size, with tolerances between 500nm and 50 mum. The M3has a macroscale workspace and four high precision robots performing coordinated tasks, vision systems for positioning, calibration and closed-loop control, reconfigurable end-effectors for part pick and place and fixtures such as parts tray and tool rests. The mu3has a centimeter scale workspace and 3 robots configured into a 3D microassembly station with 19 DOF with coarse motion servos and fine motion piezos, microgrippers and 3D stereo vision. In addition, the mu3is small enough to be used inside of a scanning electron microscope (SEM). This allows multiscale micro/nano-scale assembly up to a precision of 3 nm. Both multiscale platform stations aim to deliver reconfigurable precision assembly using Labviewtrade based supervisory software modules. Integrated bonding process tools allow for packaging of a variety of different MEMS devices

Wireless sensor networks (WSN) are increasingly used in a multitude of applications such as environmental and structural health monitoring, and condition-based maintenance. Even though the sensors collect a vast amount of data, only a tiny fraction of this data may be useful. This paper introduces and implements a data-logging & supervisory control architecture to manage the information gathered by the WSN and make decisions based on this information. We present an application module which would be able to effectively manipulate the sensor data and to support a discrete event controller (DEC). The DEC is responsible for generating rule-based tasks in order to address information-centric issues such as data-logging, alarm & event reporting and security. A combined data-logging and supervisory control framework (DSC) is proposed to address data pre-processing challenges such as acquiring and recording signals, online analysis, offline analysis, report generation, and data sharing