Design of a novel 3D ultrasonic vibration platform with tunable characteristics

Vibration-assisted tip-based nanofabrication techniques have advantages including increased material removal rate, reduced tip wear, and better material adaptability over traditional tip-based mechanical plowing. However, the influences of different vibration parameters on the machining efficiency are unclear, and how to select appropriate cutting parameters to guarantee the machined surface quality need further investigations. This paper introduces the design, modeling, and experimental validation of a novel 3D ultrasonic vibration platform with tunable characteristics. Moreover, multiple vibration modes including 1D (linear) and 2D (in-plane or out-of-plane) vibrations can be achieved. A novel flexure hinge, named T-shaped spatial flexure hinge is used to realize both in-plane and out-of-plane motions with a compact structure. Static modeling and dynamic modeling are conducted to guide the design process, and finite element analysis is utilized to verify the established model. Afterwards, a prototype is fabricated, and a number of experiments are implemented to validate the characteristics of the developed vibration platform. The experimental results show that different vibration modes can be achieved, and both the vibration amplitude and frequency can be set to an arbitrary value within a wide range according to the fabrication requirement. The maximum amplitude and frequency can reach around 50 nm and 20 kHz, i.e. ultrasonic frequency, respectively.