Path generation mechanisms are those mechanisms that produce a predetermined path. Such mechanisms are prevalent in daily life, and many devices depend on path generation mechanisms or are derived from path generation mechanisms. One might think of examples such as vehicle suspension, film advance mechanisms or sewing machines. These are generally made with rigid body mechanics, such as linkages. However these rigid body mechanisms suffer from effects such as friction, play and wear. These problems are well known to be solved using compliant mechanisms. But, some path generation such as that necessary for a film advance mechanism can currently not be made using a fully compliant system. This is because full-cycle motion is necessary to produce the path that is generated by such mechanisms, and compliant mechanisms fundamentally are not able of producing full-cycle motion.
This thesis presents the synthesis of a compliant mechanism that is able to translate reversible reciprocating motion to a history dependent path that describes an area. This process is detailed in three separate texts. The first text is set up as a paper, and outlines the generated academic contribution. The second text is the design report, herein the full design and modelling process is described. The third text is the literature review in which the gap in research is detailed.