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2009
Conference Paper
Titel
One-step alignment of bulk micro components
Alternative
Ausrichtung grosser Mengen Mikrobauteile in einem einzigen Schritt
Abstract
The mass production of micro components is nowadays a standard in production technology. On purchase, the bulk micro components are usually arranged in incoherent batches which are packed in plastic bags or small jars for handling and shipping. Despite the growing degree of automation in micro assembly processes, the decollating of the bulk micro components prior to the micro assembly processes is still characterized by manual labour which results in time consuming pre-positioning steps. To realize an efficient process chain for the assembly of micro systems, the sophisticated and fully automated handling, sorting and alignment of multiple micro components with a reproducible precision is necessary. In the research work which has been conducted at the Fraunhofer IPT within the Collaborate Research Centre SFB 440, mechanisms for the multiple alignment of micro components have been developed to fill the gap between the automated bulk production of micro components and the automated assembly of micro systems. The basis for these mechanisms are passive alignment array structures and active energies, e.g. airflow, which support the self-alignment of the bulk micro components in well defined patterns. In this paper, the design and manufacturing of such array structures to passively align and hold multiple micro spheres in exactly defined positions is introduced. Picking up micro spheres from the batch as well as arranging and handling them in a defined pattern has become possible in one single step. The fabrication process of the arrays allows for a fast redesign in order to fit larger or smaller numbers of micro spheres with varying diameters. Besides offering a sophisticated handling possibility, the use of the passive alignment arrays enables a considerable increase in efficiency of micro assembly processes by mounting a large number of micro components in parallel.