Abstract: The wide-range flexure hinge-based parallel manipulator system can provide sub-micron scale precision over the cubic centimeter scale workspace. The geometric parameters and spatial architecture of the utilized wide-range flexure hinges will influence the system stiffness directly, and impact indirectly the characteristics such as workspace, supporting capacity, driving burden and so on. The elastic model based on the stiffness equation is presented, and the stiffness model of the whole structure is constructed via the stiffness assembly and coordination equation. Based on this model, the stiffness char-acteristic is analyzed and the atlases of the stiffness influence are attained, which provide theoretical principles for designing and developing this kind of novel flexure parallel manipulator in further.

Key words: Flexure hinge, Parallel manipulator, Stiffness analysis, Stiffness matrix