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The application of Van der Waals forces in micro-material handling

Published Article / This paper investigates the challenges of employing Van der Waals forces in micro-material handling since these forces are dominant in micro-material handling systems. The problems include the creation of a dust-free environment, accurate measurement of the micro-force, and the efficient picking and placing of micro-work pieces. The use of vacuum suction, micro-gripper's surface roughness, geometrical configuration and material type are presented as alternatives to overcome the challenges. An atomic force microscope is proposed for the accurate measurement of the Van der Waals force between the gripper and the micro-work piece.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:cut/oai:ir.cut.ac.za:11462/554
Date January 2010
CreatorsMatope, S., Van Der Merwe, A.
ContributorsCentral University of Technology, Free State, Bloemfontein
PublisherJournal for New Generation Sciences, Vol 8, Issue 1: Central University of Technology, Free State, Bloemfontein
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
Languageen_US
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeArticle
Format2 451 695 bytes, 1 file, Application/PDF
RightsCentral University of Technology, Free State, Bloemfontein
RelationJournal for New Generation Sciences;Vol 8, Issue 1

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