Investigation of the influencing factors in the production of Shape Memory alloy wire bending actuators for integration in micro-electro-mechanical systems

The combination of shape memory alloys and micro-electro-mechanical systems possesses to rethink and downscale the size of actuator systems to MEMS level. Thus, the heterogeneous integration of shape memory alloy actuators is a focus of current research to enable the use of standardized semi-finished products such as wires and to exploit their good actuator properties. To integrate the actuator into the mechanical structure, it must first be deformed to fit into the intended installation space and to realize a form-fit connection after the first activation. This pre-deformation has a significant influence on the actuator performance. In this paper, the influence of preforming on the resulting actuator behaviour will be investigated. For this purpose, the change in the transformation temperatures and the resulting stroke are investigated. The experiments carried out were based on experimental plans that were created by means of design of experiments.