Design and vibration analysis of a self-adaptive piston in a novel nanoimprint system

Purpose A self-adaptive piston is designed for the compressional gas cushion press nanoimprint lithography system. It avoids the lube pollution and high wear of traditional piston. Design/methodology/approach The self-adaptive piston device consists of symmetrical piston bodies, piston rings and other parts. The two piston bodies are linked by a ball-screw. The locking nut adjusts the distance between two piston bodies to avoid the piston rings from being stuck. The piston rings are placed between two piston bodies. Findings The simulation results based on COMSOL indicate that cylinder vibration caused by self-adaptive piston is 15.9 times smaller than the one caused by a traditional piston. Originality/value The self-adaptive piston is superior to the traditional piston in decreasing cylinder vibration.