Design for Microassembly - A Methodology for Product Design and Process Selection

Abstract

The thesis presents research carried out in the field of design for microassembly (DFIlA), a field that has hereto been characterised by the absence of well defined methodologies intended to facilitate transfer of prototypes from the research lab to production on industrial scale. A DFIlA methodology has been developed, serving the purpose of integrating product and micro assembly process development. It aims in particular at increasing the efficiency of the microproduct development process, decreasing the development time and the product and process cost, and enhancing the product quality.Chapter 1 presents the motivations, objectives, and structure of the thesis. The work carried out is inspired by the need to overcome barriers currently existing between the making of single research products and production on an industrial level. The main objective is to contribute to the creating of a novel DFIlA that supports product design and process selection, thereby facilitating the efficient assembly of complex three-dimensional miniaturised devices. This is complemented by a range of secondary targets that deal with the development and verification of supporting methods and models related to DFIlA.The summary of a comprehensive literature review is given in chapter 2. The survey provides results of studies closely related to the work reported in this thesis and relates that work to a larger ongoing dialogue about the topic of assembly and design in the microworld.

Analysis of the Applicability of Design for Microassembly Theory to Biomedical Devices

“…Consequently the application DFµA is focussed here on enabling the accurate joining of the parts demonstrating certain aspects of a methodology developed specifically for DFµA [19]. The following section described the parts and the joint requirements in more detail.…”

Utilisation of FIB/SEM Technology in the Assembly of an Innovative Micro-CMM Probe

“…Miniaturisation and integration of mechanical, sensing, and control functions within confined spaces is becoming an important trend in designing new products for commercial sectors such as medical, automotive, biomedical, consumer electronics, and telecommunications [1]. However, the potential for micro-assembly for such products has been shown mainly in the research environment with a limited transfer of knowledge and equipment to industry [2].…”

Application of a DFμA Methodology to facilitate the assembly of a Micro/Nano Measurement Device

“…A novel DFfiA methodology [7] is used to influence the stylus design and to choose the appropriate assembly processes. The main objective of the methodology is to facilitate improvements in the design process by • Applying design rules and guidelines which are focused on the microworld to cope with its specific challenges and • Considering key assembly process features in early design stages.…”

“…• Because "measurement underpins manufacturing technology" [6], there needs to be a push in metrology equipment to respond to the ongoing trend of miniaturisation to enable quality assurance for arising three dimensional products with nanometre scale features. This paper addresses these two gaps by utilising a novel DFjiA methodology [7] to enable the state-of-the-art coordinate-measuring machine (CMM) stylus assembly, which is characterised by extremely rigid and challenging requirements. A CMM is a programmable, versatile instrument that is used to measure dimensional data for many types of manufactured component.…”