Flexible Guides: General Overview

This lecture provides a comprehensive summary of the concept of flexible guides, which are mechanical elements connecting rigid mechanical sequences, allowing certain movements while preventing others. It explores the intrinsic properties of various springs, such as coils and blades, and how these properties are utilized to create guides with desired degrees of freedom. The lecture delves into the analysis of kinematic mechanisms, the presence of hyperstatic structures, and the design principles to achieve specific properties in structures. It also covers the selection of materials and manufacturing technologies for flexible guides, emphasizing the importance of precision and the challenges faced at different speeds and temperatures.