Sensors and Actuators A 126 (2006) 375–381

Development of a gripper using SMA wire

Z.W. Zhong ∗ , C.K. Yeong
School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798, Republic of Singapore
Received 22 April 2005; received in revised form 4 October 2005; accepted 19 October 2005
Available online 18 November 2005

Abstract
A gripper actuated by shape-memory-alloy (SMA) wire was designed and fabricated. The design took the advantage of the small linear
displacement of the SMA wire to convert it into angular movement of the gripping jaws. The SMA actuation is provided by pulsing electric current
from a driving circuit. With this method, the risk of the SMA being overheated can be reduced, yet providing sufficient power for the useful gripping
task. This ensures that the gripper has long and lasting actuation. Testing experiments were conducted using the prototype to evaluate its working
responses and reliability, including the generated force, level of excitation, reaction time, its characterization and cyclic performance. The gripping
force achieved was in the range of 70–500 mN, ideal for micro-applications. This force can be varied by changing the driving current through a
variable resistor. In terms of reliability, millions of gripping cycles were accomplished without any deterioration in performance. This proves that
the concept of the design is feasible and the gripper is able to support a continuously long operation before any replacement of parts is required.
The actuator (SMA wire) costs only US$ 0.7, much less-expensive than other actuators such as piezoelectric actuators.
© 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Gripper; Shape memory alloy; Actuator; Force sensor; Reliability

1. Introduction A typical micro-manipulation workstation consists of sev-

Technologies in the micro-scale have been developed over the
years for consumer products and specialized applications in the
fields of electronics, information technology, optics, medicine
and biology covering areas such as diagnostics, drug deliv-
ery, tissue engineering and minimally invasive surgery [1–4].
Although considerable developments have been made in fab-
rication of micro-parts, unfortunately, the assembly of these
micro-systems still accounts for a substantial portion of the final
cost.
Micro-assemblies refer to assemblies of components in the
micro-scale including handling of components in micro ranges.
One basic challenge in precision micro-assemblies is the need for
very high accuracy (often in the sub-micron range) over a large
range of motion [5]. It shares many common aspects with tra-
ditional robotic assemblies such as positioning of manipulators,
velocity, jerk and force control, tactile feedback, task planning,
collision avoidance, grasping, part orientation, etc.
∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +65 6790 5588; fax: +65 6791 1859.
E-mail address: mzwzhong@ntu.edu.sg (Z.W. Zhong).
eral interchangeable and application-dedicated micro-grippers.
It has a visual subsystem, a micro-positioning subsystem with
micro-actuators and micro-sensors for accurate positioning of
micro-grippers, a control unit and a human-to-machine interface
consisting of software simulation tools to aid micro-assembly
processes [6]. The micro-gripper is an important component
of the system to manipulate biological objects or mechanical
micro-components.
A typical micro-gripper is made of thin-plate silicon or
stainless steel, designed as a compliant mechanism such that
conventional bearings are replaced by flexure hinges, which
are regions with decreased stiffness [7]. Actuation is typi-
cally provided using a piezoelectric actuator [8,9] or shape-
memory-alloy (SMA) foil (laser-cut and mounted on the grip-
per [7,10] or surface-deposited [11]). The gripper is generally
fabricated using a lithography-based, precision micro machin-
ing, electrical-discharge machining or laser cutting method. For
higher-end-scale components (0.5–1 mm), a forceps-type design
is typically adopted, and actuation can be achieved using elec-
trical motors, pistons, miniature solenoids or SMAs in various
forms (bar, spring, wire) [12–14].
In a typical gripper design using motorized actuators, a com-
plete gearing system is a must. Two miniature motors are used

0924-4247/$ – see front matter © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.sna.2005.10.017
376 Z.W. Zhong, C.K. Yeong / Sensors and Actuators A 126 (2006) 375–381
if independent jaw control is desired. The gearing systems nor-
mally include a set of planetary gears coupled to a set of bevel
gears to transmit the angular motion to the jaw [15].
In a gripper with hydraulic piston actuation, the piston drives
a shaft that is linked to jaws, acting against a counter force spring
to open the gripper. This design requires a fluid feeding system,
which complicates the arm architecture [12]. This can be over-
come using an SMA-type piston [16].
Using a shape memory spring or Ni–Ti spring is a popular
method for linear actuation. The Ni–Ti spring acts against a
counter-force steel-spring separated by a disk connected to a
shaft, which is linked to the jaws enabling the gripper to open
when the Ni–Ti spring is activated. The cooling time is required
to deactivate the Ni–Ti spring to close the gripper [12].
Another form of SMA that can be used in a gripper is SMA
wire. Due to the short contraction length of about 3–5%, the
design would have to incorporate special mechanisms such as
pulleys to amplify the motion. A spring would have to be put in
the jaw to enable it to close when the SMA wire is deactivated
[12,17].
The first SMA was discovered in 1932 when the shape
recovery ability of a gold–cadmium alloy was noted for
its potential in creating motion. In 1950, it was found that
the shape memory effect (SME) could be used to perform
physical work, generating great research interest leading to
the discovery of an indium–titanium alloy with similar shape
recovery capabilities. However, the costly gold and indium and
the toxic nature of cadmium hindered further research efforts.
In 1963, the SME in a nickel–titanium (Ni–Ti) alloy, which
was non-toxic, less expensive and had a better deformation-
to-recovery ratio, was discovered. This finding sparked a
new wave of research, leading to discoveries of other SMAs
such as copper–aluminium–nickel, copper–tin, copper–zinc,
copper–gold–zinc, copper–zinc–aluminum (Cu–Zn–Al),
iron–platinum, nickel–aluminum and manganese–copper.
Among them, Ni–Ti and Cu–Zn–Al turned out to be the best due
to their strengths, low costs and large changing capabilities [18].
The SME in an SMA is caused by a solid state phase trans-
formation. Above and below a certain transition temperature,
an SMA is austenitic (hard) and martensitic (relatively soft),
respectively. The material grains form a twinned structure. In
the martensitic phase, the alloy can be easily deformed to a new
shape and the crystalline microstructure de-twins as grains re-
orientate. The new shape remains as long as the temperature is
constant. Heating above the transition temperature would cause
the alloy to transform back to the austenite phase, restoring its
original shape. The change within the crystalline structure is a
thermodynamically irreversible process due to internal friction
and structural defects. Therefore, the temperature range for the
martensite-to-austenite transformation at heating is higher than
that for the reverse transformation at cooling. The difference
between the transition temperatures at heating and cooling is
called hysteresis. The complexity in SMA models present diffi-
culties to mathematical design of controllers for SMA actuators
[19].
In medical fields, the Ni–Ti alloy received much attention due
to its high compatibility with living tissue and low risk of rejec-
tion when implanted. Researchers have been toying around with
ideas of using Ni–Ti alloy to activate artificial organs. Success-
ful applications can be found in surgical tools and in dentistry
where it is used to develop braces and tooth alignment struc-
tures. In engineering fields, it is used in aerospace, military and
automotive industries. Applications include pipe couplings, heat
engines, electrical connectors, thermostats, sensors, valves and
robotics [18]. SMAs can also be found in consumer products
such as spectacle frames, golf clubs, antennas, toys, etc. More
recently, SMAs have been used in micro-electro-mechanical
systems. Micro-valves in micro-fluidics [20], switches, mirrors,
micro-positioners, micro-robotic systems are made using SMAs
for various industrial applications.
Piezoelectric actuators are widely used in various applica-
tions [21–31] as well as in micro grippers, because of their
advantages [32]: high energy-conversion efficiency, large gen-
erated force, stable displacement, high response speed and ease
of use. However, minimum rise time of a piezoelectric actuator
requires a power amplifier with sufficient output current [33].
The power amplifiers and piezoelectric actuators providing large
displacements are expensive.
Advantages in SMA actuation are simplicity, safety, and high
power-to-weight ratio. Additional advantages of Ni–Ti SMAs
are the excellent corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. The
disadvantages are low energy efficiency, limited bandwidth due
to heating and cooling restrictions, degradation, fatigue, and
small strains [34,35].
Currently, there are few micro-grippers in the market that
use SMAs in particular SMA wire as a means of actuation. The
objectives of this study are to investigate the use of SMA wire
as an actuator, design and fabricate an SMA-wire-actuated pro-
totype gripper that has the ability to handle devices in the range
of 100–500 ␮m.
2. Design of the gripper
Fig. 1 shows the prototype gripper designed and fabricated. It
has an acrylic-based body and aluminum jaws pivoted to allow
an opening of 1 mm. Actuation is provided by a short piece
Fig. 1. The prototype gripper designed and fabricated.
 Z.W. Zhong, C.K. Yeong / Sensors and Actuators A 126 (2006) 375–381
Fig. 2. A third spring behind the slider.
(33 mm long) of SMA wire with both ends connected to a perf
board by a pair of bolts and nuts. The SMA wire forms a loop
around a protruding feature attached to a sliding unit, which has
an opening slot at one end providing a linkage to both jaws so
that it pulls the jaws to close simultaneously when the SMA wire
is activated. The SMA wire used and investigated is the Muscle
Wire (Flexinol 037–250) from MONDO·TRONICS.
A pair of bias springs is mounted at the back of the jaws to
open the gripper when the SMA wire is deactivated. The base of
the gripper has grooves and steps to accommodate the placement
of the springs and the stopping block. The sliding unit is properly
guided along its path to slide through the C-slots integrated in
the stopping block. A third spring is added at the back of the
sliding unit (as shown in Fig. 2) to ease its recovery motion and
effectively prevent it from getting jammed in the C-slots.
In the driving circuit used, the output of a 555 IC (timer) is
used to source the SMA wire directly. This is achieved without
using a current limiting resistor as the 555 IC has a maximum
output current of about 300 mA, which is within the recom-
mended range of excitation current given by the manufacturer
of the SMA wire used.
When it is activated, the circuit provides an output voltage
oscillating between 0 and 3 V as shown in Fig. 3, with a duty
cycle of 71% at a frequency of 2.3 Hz. This means that for every
cycle of the oscillation, 0.31 s is utilized to generate heat in the
SMA wire, followed by 0.13 s of relaxation before the cycle is
repeated.
With this circuit, ample time is given to allow the SMA wire
to cool down a little before being heated up again. This pre-
vents it from overheating, thus prolonging its useful lifetime.
The duty cycle of 71% coupled with the short cycle time of
Fig. 3. Oscillating output voltage from the driving circuit.
377
Fig. 4. Set-up for force sensor calibration.
oscillation (0.44 s) provides the gripper with a steady grip with-
out any jerking effect.
3. Testing experiments
3.1. Gripping force test
A gripping force test was carried out to determine the rela-
tionship of the gripping force of the prototype gripper and the
excitation current of the SMA wire. The driving circuit was mod-
ified with the addition of a variable resistor (trimmer) connected
between the 555 timer IC and the SMA wire.
The force measurement was conducted using a special force
sensor (Flexi-force model A201 from Tekscan). This sensor is
an ultra-thin (0.2 mm), flexible printed circuit that senses contact
force [36], and it has a linear relationship between its conduc-
tance and the force applied. As conductance in Siemens (S) is the
reciprocal of resistance in Ohms (
), the resistance of the force
sensor was taken for the measurement. The force sensor was cal-
ibrated using known masses of 3–130 g as shown in Fig. 4, and
the corresponding resistance values were taken using an ohm
meter (Digital Multi-meter Model 19 from Fluke). The mass
weight was carefully placed on the center of the sensor pad and
the average reading from the ohm meter was taken to reduce
uncertain errors. Fig. 5 shows the relationship between the mass
and the resistance of the force sensor, and the linear chart of force
versus conductance is shown in Fig. 6. The correlation coeffi-
cients (R-values) obtained from Figs. 5 and 6 were 0.99539 and
0.99574, respectively, indicating the errors were small. In this
way, a resistance-force relationship was established.
Using the calibrated force sensor, the gripping force of the
prototype gripper was measured as shown in Fig. 7. For all avail-
able sizes of the SMA wires (␾37, 50, 100, 150 and 250 ␮m),
the respective desired excitation current was adjusted by tun-
ing the variable resistor (trimmer). For every tested current
level, the gripping force was measured by probing the resistance
Fig. 5. Force sensor calibration chart of mass vs. resistance.
378 Z.W. Zhong, C.K. Yeong / Sensors and Actuators A 126 (2006) 375–381
Fig. 6. Force sensor calibration chart of force vs. conductance.
of the force sensor while allowing the gripper’s jaws to grip
the center of the force sensor pad, and the gripping force
was then computed based on the relationship obtained during
calibration.
3.2. Cyclic performance test
This test was designed to examine the cyclic life of the SMA
wire used in the prototype gripper. The idea was to make the grip-
per open and close for two million cycles and record the number
of successful cycles before permanent failure of the SMA wire
would occur.
The test was conducted using another modified version of the
driving circuit. An addition non-stable oscillation circuit was
used to trigger the driving circuit. The resistors and capacitors
were chosen carefully so that the gripper would close for 1 s and
open for another 1 s.
With the period of a cycle known, the number of testing cycles
could be obtained by recording the total test time before failure.
The start date and time were recorded each time a continuous
test was conducted. When the test was stopped for inspection,
the corresponding end date and time were also registered. The
number of testing cycles could then be computed.
3.3. Tip displacement measurement
The aim of this test was to determine the displacement of
the gripper jaws with respect to the SMA excitation current
from the driving circuit. For each tested current level, the open-
ing of the jaws was captured using a high-resolution digital
camera. The image captured was transferred to a personal com-
puter. The tip-displacement per jaw was then determined by
converting the number of digital pixels in the image into real
geometry.
Fig. 7. Set-up for measuring the gripping force of the gripper.
3.4. Driving-circuit power measurement
The aim of this test was to determine the efficiency of the
driving circuit by probing the input of the circuit with a multi-
meter, measuring the input current and voltage. Similarly, at the
output of the circuit, the average output current (SMA excita-
tion current) was also measured. With the resistance of the load
(SMA wire) known, the input power and the output power of
the driving circuit were then calculated, and subsequently the
efficiency of the driving circuit was determined.
4. Results and discussion
4.1. Gripping-force test result
Initial results of the gripping-force test indicated that the
SMA wires of ␾37 and ␾50 ␮m were too thin and fragile to
act as the actuator of the gripper. Apart from being extremely
prone to breaking, they were also very difficult to handle, result-
ing in installation difficulties. The test result for the SMA wire
of ␾250 ␮m was opposite. It was found to be too thick, resulting
in the requirement of higher power for activation. According
to the manufacturer’s data, the recommended excitation cur-
rent for the ␾250-␮m SMA wire is about 400 mA, beyond the
capability of the driving circuit used, which is in the range of
200–300 mA.
With three of the five available sizes of SMA wires out of
the picture, the focus of the test was shifted to the sizes of ␾100
and ␾150 ␮m. From the data collected and presented in Fig. 8,
it was clear that the gripping force increased with the excitation
current. For the ␾100-␮m SMA wire, at least 200-mA excitation
current was required for the gripper to close its jaws completely.
The forces recorded at this current level averaged to 0.0748 N
from three readings. With an incremental step of 25 mA for each
level, the average gripping force increased steadily to 0.1687,
0.2345 and 0.3270 N, respectively. The correlation coefficients
(R-values) obtained from the two curves in Fig. 8 for the ␾100
and ␾150 ␮m SMA wires were 0.99780 and 0.99328, respec-
tively, indicating the errors were small.
The ␾150-␮m SMA wire basically shared similar behavior
with the ␾100-␮m wire. The minimum current required for the
Fig. 8. Average gripping force vs. excitation current.
 Z.W. Zhong, C.K. Yeong / Sensors and Actuators A 126 (2006) 375–381
Table 1
Reaction time recorded when various sizes of SMA wire were used
SMA size (␮m) Time-on (s) Time-off (s) Remarks
37 NA NA Too thin
50 NA NA Too thin
100 0.8 1
150 1 2.5
250 NA NA Insufficient current
gripper to close its jaws completely increased to 250 mA, giving
an average gripping force of 0.1632 N. The driving circuit was
able to draw up to the maximum of 300 mA, providing a gripping
force of 0.5883 N.
As shown in Table 1, the time required to perform a close-
open motion using the ␾100-␮m SMA wire was shorter than that
using the ␾150-␮m SMA wire. This was because the smaller the
cross-sectional area, the faster the SMA wire absorbs heat, and
thus the shorter time for activation required.
4.2. Cyclic performance-test result
Fig. 9 shows the open-close cycles versus test number of
the cyclic performance-tests. The tests were conducted virtually
without stopping throughout the testing period. Only a short
period of break was given when inspection of the gripper con-
dition was performed. The outcome of the cyclic performance-
tests of the prototype gripper was satisfactory. The prototype
gripper opened and closed consistently for more than two mil-
lion cycles.
The final test (Test 14) was the longest non-stop test of more
than 1.1 million cycles. This single test alone took almost a
month to be conducted, and the result was favorable. Shortly
after this exhaustive test ended, the gripping force test on the
gripper was performed again to gauge its gripping performance.
The result was consistent with the result from the gripping force
test discussed earlier, with an average of 0.3 N for a full powered
SMA excitation. It can be concluded that the reliability achieved
using the SMA wire in this gripper design was creditable.
4.3. Tip displacement
In this test, the SMA excitation current was varied in steps of
25 mA starting from 0 mA to the current level where the gripper
Fig. 9. Cycles vs. test number of the cyclic performance-test.
379
Fig. 10. Tip displacement of one jaw vs. excitation current.
closed completely. As shown in Fig. 10, no significant displace-
ment was observed at a current level 50 mA and below. With
a current level of 75 mA and above, the gripper displacement-
current characteristic can be modeled as a linear function.
As shown in Fig. 10, the correlation coefficient (R-value)
obtained was 0.98301, indicating the errors were small but there
was room for improvement to reduce the measurement errors.
This study aimed at developing a simple and inexpensive grip-
per and thus force control and displacement control were not
considered. Without any feedback control, the errors shown in
Figs. 5, 6, 8 and 10 were relatively small. For more accurate
results, high-precision force and displacement sensors can be
used, and force and displacement feedback control may be per-
formed. However, this may increase the complexity and the cost
of the gripper and its control system.
4.4. Driving-circuit power
The results obtained from the driving-circuit power test are
summarized in Table 2. With these values available, the input
power and output power of the driving circuit can be computed
as follows. Subsequently, the efficiency of the driving circuit can
be determined.
Input power, Pin = Vin × Iin = 4.84 V × 300 × 10−3 A
= 1.452 W
2
Output power, Pout = Iout
2
× RW = (250 × 10−3 ) A × 4.9Ω
= 0.3063 W
Pout 0.3063
Efficiency, η = = = 0.211 = 21.1%
Pin 1.452
The efficiency achieved in this driving circuit was expected
due to nature of the circuit design. With the current from the
555 timer IC sufficient to activate the SMA wire, no “burn-up”
resistor was used to protect the SMA wire from overheating.
Table 2
Results obtained from the driving-circuit power test
Input voltage, Vin (V) 4.84
Input current, Iin (mA) 300
Output current, Iout (mA) 250
Load (SMA wire) resistance, RW (
) 4.9
380 Z.W. Zhong, C.K. Yeong / Sensors and Actuators A 126 (2006) 375–381
Thus most power from the output of the circuit was channeled
to activate the SMA wire.
The power recommended by the manufacturer is 4.86 W/m,
which is equivalent to 0.17 W for this application (0.033 m).
The power dissipation of 0.3063 W found for the SMA wire
in this application was higher than the recommended power.
However, results from the cyclic performance test showed that
this large power dissipation in the SMA wire did not degrade its
performance.
5. Conclusion
SMA wire was used to actuate a gripper designed and fabri-
cated to handle micro-components of sizes up to 500 ␮m. The
gripper was fabricated and examined to evaluate its basic grip-
ping performance. Driven by a specialized electronics circuit,
the small piece of SMA wire was excited to create a pulling
effect enabling the closing of the gripper jaws. Tests conducted
on the prototype gripper have shown convincing results in terms
of its consistency and reliability. The actuator (SMA wire) costs
only US$ 0.7, much less-expensive than other actuators such as
piezoelectric actuators.
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Biographies
Dr. Zhong worked at the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research, Japan
after he received his Doctor of Engineering in Precision Engineering in 1989.
He has also worked at the Gintic Institute of Manufacturing Technology, Sin-
gapore, and is currently at the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
His research and development areas are electronics packaging, precision engi-
neering, mechatronics and design.
Mr. Yeong graduated from Nanyang Technological University of Singapore
with a Degree in Mechanical and Production Engineering (Honour). Cur-
rently, he works as a design engineer involved in the designing of machines
for the automation industry. His research interest is in the development of
innovative and creative engineering devices for automation.