Capillary Forces in Microassembly discusses the use of capillary
forces as a gripping principle in microscale assembly. Clearly written
and well-organized, this text brings together physical concepts at the
microscale with practical applications in micromanipulation. Throughout
this work, the reader will find a review of the existing gripping
principles, elements to model capillary forces as well as descriptions
of the simulation and experimental test bench developed to study the
design parameters. Using well-known concepts from surface science (such
as surface tension, capillary effects, wettability, and contact angles)
as inputs to mechanical models, the amount of effort required to handle
micro-components is then predicted.
Researchers and engineers involved in micromanipulation and precision
assembly will find this a highly useful reference for microassembly
system design and analysis.