Microclamping principles from the perspective of micrometrology - A review

This paper gives an overview of the field of clamping and gripping principles from the viewpoint of sample fixturing for dimensional metrology for microobjects. The requirements for clamping microcomponents that allow dimensional measurements are therefore explained before principles and solutions of microclamps as found in literature are reviewed and evaluated on basis of these requirements. Results show that there is no single superior clamping principle or method of implementation but rather several effective solutions for specific applications. The core value of this paper is the link between requirements for sample fixturing in dimensional micrometrology and the many approaches already investigated in the field of microclamping. A radar chart and a decision tree summarize and visualize the major aspects of this review. Finally, directions of future key research areas are suggested.