Developing and Embedding a Practical Design Approach for 1-DOF Flexure Mechanisms in Precision Engineering SMEs

Flexure mechanisms (compliant structures that achieve precise motion through elastic deformation) are essential components in high-precision applications such as semiconductor equipment, scientific instrumentation, and medical devices. Despite their importance, engineers in Dutch precision engineering SMEs routinely lack access to a structured, practical methodology for designing flexure guides. Existing knowledge is fragmented across specialist literature and inaccessible to non-expert engineers, forcing ad-hoc approaches that compromise reliability and limit the development of internal organisational capability.
This Professional Doctorate trajectory addresses that gap by developing and embedding a validated, transferable Design Framework for 1-DOF flexure mechanisms, structured across five domains: requirements definition, parametric design, physical implementation, verification and validation, and organisational embedding. The trajectory follows a three-phase, practice-based research design. Phase 1 conducts four targeted short-cycle research blocks generating empirical knowledge. Phase 2 implements the emerging framework within engineering workflows at Settels Savenije and two to three DSPE-connected SMEs, following Kotter's staged change model to ensure durable adoption. Phase 3 synthesises all findings into a coherent, publicly available design guide.
The trajectory is embedded within the Brainport precision engineering ecosystem, with Settels Savenije as the primary industrial partner and the Dutch Society for Precision Engineering (DSPE) as the dissemination and implementation network. An internal seismometer development project provides the primary engineering use case. Outcomes include peer-reviewed publications, a publicly available design framework, and educational modules integrated into Fontys engineering programmes, contributing both to technical knowledge and to the systematic capability of SMEs across the Dutch high-tech sector.