Precision Engineering and Micro

Electro Mechanical Systems

By: Dr. Pawan Sharma,

Ph.D. (IIT Delhi)
Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical
Engineering, IIT (BHU), Varanasi
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 Introduction to Precision engineering
 Research and development, design, manufacture and measurement of high accuracy
components and systems.(American Society for Precision Engineering 2011, www.aspe.net)
 Precision engineering is a multi-disciplinary range of technologies, based heavily on the
application of metrology (dimensional and thermal) to manufacturing and covers materials,
machining and fabrication processes, design and build of high-precision machines, micro-
sensors, actuators, displacement measuring devices and control systems, etc.(McKeown [11];
P. A. McKeown 2011, personal communication).
 Precision engineering concerns the creation of high-precision machine tools, and this
involves their design, fabrication and measurement.

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Introduction to Precision engineering: Accuracy and Precision

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 Introduction to Precision engineering
 Precision
engineering concerns
the manufacture of
items that have a
wide range of sizes,
from those that are
as large as the
satellite rocket
launcher to ones that
are as small as the
Figure: Taniguchi plot indicating the evolution of precision manufacturing machines
microchip. and instruments as a function of time. 4
Introduction to Precision engineering

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 Introduction to Precision engineering
For achieving a higher precision in the manufacture of a part using precision engineering,
Nakazawa and McKeown have summarized some objectives and these are to:
1. Create a highly precise movement; 2. Reduce the dispersion of the product’s or part’s function
3. Eliminate fitting and promote assembly especially automatic assembly
4. Reduce the initial cost and the running cost
6. Extend the life span
7. Enable the design safety factor to be lowered
8. Improve interchangeability of components so that corresponding parts made by other factories or firms can be used in their
place
9. Improve quality control through higher machine accuracy capabilities and hence reduce scrap, rework, and conventional
inspection
10. Achieve a greater wear/fatigue life of components
11. Make functions independent of one another
12. Achieve greater miniaturization and packing densities
13. Achieve further advances in technology and the underlying sciences 6
Introduction to Precision engineering

Figure: Taniguchi Table for

Various Products
Categorised into
Achievable ISO Tolerance
with Surface Finish

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Machining Accuracies and Techniques for Precision Manufacturing

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Machining Accuracies and Techniques for Precision Manufacturing

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 Introduction to Microelectromechanical systems
 An important trend in engineering design and manufacturing is the growth in the number of
products and/or components of products whose features sizes are measured in microns.
 Several terms have been applied to these miniaturized items. The term
microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) emphasizes the miniaturization of systems
consisting of both electronic and mechanical components.
 The word micromachines is sometimes used for these devices.
 Microsystem technology (MST) is a more general term that refers to the products (not
necessarily limited to electromechanical products) as well as the fabrication technologies to
produce them.

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 Microsystem Products
 Designing products that are smaller and comprised of even smaller parts and subassemblies
means less material usage, lower power requirements, greater functionality per unit space,
and accessibility to regions that are forbidden to larger products.
 In most cases, smaller products should mean lower prices because less material is used;
however, the price of a given product is influenced by the costs of research, development,
and production, and how these costs can be spread over the number of units sold.
 Microsystem products can be classified by type of device (e.g., sensor, actuator) or by
application area (e.g., medical, automotive).

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 Types of Microsystem Devices
 Microsensors: A sensor is a device that detects or measures some physical phenomenon
such as heat or pressure.
 It includes a transducer that converts one form of physical variable into another form (e.g., a
piezoelectric device converts mechanical force into electrical current) plus the physical
packaging and external connections.
 Most microsensors are fabricated on a silicon substrate using the same processing
technologies as those used for integrated circuits.
 Microscopic-sized sensors have been developed for measuring force, pressure, position,
speed, acceleration, temperature, flow, and a variety of optical, chemical, environmental, and
biological variables. The term hybrid microsensor is often used when the sensing element
(transducer) is combined with electronic components in the same device. 12
Types of Microsystem Devices: Microsensor
Table: Microsensors installed in a modern automobile

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 Types of Microsystem Devices
 Microactuators: Like a sensor, an actuator converts a
physical variable of one type into another type, but the
converted variable usually involves some mechanical
action (e.g., a piezoelectric device oscillating in response
to an alternating electrical field).
 An actuator causes a change in position or the
application of force.
 Examples of microactuators include valves, positioners, Figure: Microscopic ratchet
mechanism fabricated of silicon
switches, pumps, and rotational and linear motors.
 Figure shows a microscopic ratchet mechanism
fabricated of silicon. 14
 Types of Microsystem Devices
 Microstructures and microcomponents:
These terms are used to denote a microsized
part that is not a sensor or actuator.
 Examples of microstructures and
microcomponents include microscopic gears,
lenses, mirrors, nozzles, and beams.
 These items must be combined with other
components (microscopic or otherwise) to Figure: A microscopic gear and a human hair. The image
was made using a scanning electron microscope. The
provide a useful function. gear is high-density polyethylene molded by a process
similar to the LIGA process except that the mold cavity
 Figure shows a microscopic gear alongside a was fabricated using a focused ion beam.

human hair for comparison. 15

 Types of Microsystem Devices
 Microsystems and micro-instruments: These terms denote the integration of several of the
preceding components together with the appropriate electronics package into a miniature
system or instrument.
 Microsystems and micro-instruments tend to be very application specific; for example,
microlasers, optical chemical analyzers, and microspectrometers.
 The economics of manufacturing these kinds of systems have tended to make
commercialization difficult.

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Thanks

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