A precision micropositioning system with a high displacement resolution and wide motion range has been required for industrialized applications for a long time. This paper discusses the design and the characteristics of a new piezodriven precision micropositioning stage utilizing flexure hinges. Two-grade amplifying and a monolithic symmetrical mechanism are adopted in the design. An analytical model is presented and a series of formulae for the static and dynamic behaviour of the stage are derived. Based on the theoretical analysis, the optimum design schema is put forward. The experimental demonstration to study the performance of the stage is described, and the method for reducing nonlinearity errors is proposed. The experimental results are in close agreement with those predicted by the theoretical analysis.

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Electronic marketing (eM) is a flourishing phenomenon that is gaining intense concern because of a significant impact on organizational performance. Over the past few decades, the relevance of eM has been observed in numerous fields (e.g., consumers, organizational strategy, advertisement, and overall philosophy of management to understand the insights globally). To effectively maneuver the field, all stakeholders, particularly academicians and practitioners, must comprehend the current position of the eM theory and practices for dynamic utilization. A systematic bibliometric analysis can serve this issue by providing a holistic view of the publication trend and its trajectory in terms of various themes, including citations and publication metrics. This study analyzes the bibliometric data from 2000 to 2019 to reveal the most productive countries, universities, authors, journals, and prolific publications in electronic marketing. To this end, VOS viewer software was used to visualize the mapping based on co-citation, bibliographic coupling (BC), and co-occurrence (CC). The primary addition of this research is to provide an overview of eM tendencies and paths that may help researchers know the tendencies and future research directions worldwide.

High-performance actuation is always desirable in a dexterous high-precision manipulation system. In this paper, we first develop a single-degree-of-freedom piezoelectric translator composed of a piezoelectric stack, a monolithic leaf spring and a preload mechanism. The displacement resolution reached by this translator is better than 10 nm, while its natural frequency is over 2 kHz. Based on the developed piezoelectric translator, a micro-manipulator is then designed, which is capable of producing micro-motions in six degrees of freedom. The design characteristics and kinematics of this micro-manipulator are investigated. An effective kinematic model used for the real-time control is presented, and the operation performance of the micro-manipulator is discussed further.

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Ultra-precision positioning mechanisms with a high displacement resolution and long travelling range are becoming increasingly popular in industrial applications. In this design note, we discuss the design and characterization of a new piezo-driven ultra-precision stepping positioner composed of three piezoelectric actuators and a monolithic flexure hinge mechanism. The analytical models are presented, the formulae for static and dynamic characteristics are derived and the design process is described. It follows that the performance characterization is carried out. It is confirmed that this device is capable of performing a stepping motion with a high reproducibility, as well as a single movement with a displacement resolution of over 10 nm and a natural frequency of over 432 Hz.

A new type of micromechanical probe-measuring instrument for the characterization of micromechanical properties and in situ surface topography has been developed. It adopts a load-adding cantilever for surface indentation and a force-sensing cantilever for profile measurement. Both the surface indentation and the profile measurement are made by using the same diamond probe. The deflected displacement of the cantilever is measured by an optical sensor. The piezo-driven precision stage with wide motion range and high resonance frequency is utilized to move the specimen in x and y directions. The effectiveness of this instrument is verified by a test, and the experimental results are presented.

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