PurposeUntil now, the size range of most machines for precision assembly was much larger than the size of the pieces to be handled or the necessary workspace. Flexibly scalable miniaturised production machines can help to develop much more flexible micro production systems. The paper aims to describe the development of a micro‐parallel‐SCARA robot adapted in size to MEMS products.Design/methodology/approachThe robot consists of a miniaturised parallel structure, which provides a high level of accuracy in a workspace of 60 × 45 × 20 mm3. It has a base area of 130 × 170 mm2 and offers four degrees of freedom.FindingsBased on simulations, the degree of miniaturisation in terms of a smaller structure and a high level of accuracy is determined. The results show that a miniaturised hybrid robot with a plane parallel structure driven by miniaturised zero‐backlash gears and electric motors can reach a theoretical repeatability better than 1 μm.Research limitations/implicationsThe first prototype provides good prospects that the concept will be used in a visionary desktop‐factory. As regards the accuracy parameters of the robot, there will be further efforts to optimise the robot's structure and drive mechanism.Practical implicationsThe repeatability of this first prototype is better than 14 μm. A better stiffness of optimised micro‐gears and joints of the structure will guarantee a much better repeatability.Originality/valueThe paper illustrates that the Parvus is one of the smallest industrial robots for micro assembly equipped with a full range of functionalities like conventional industrial robots.

In this paper the assembly of a novel micro-scale coordinate measuring machine (CMM) probe is considered. A working micro-scale CMM probe is assembled from a MEMS device and a stylus produced by micro-electro-discharge machining. The production technique of the micro-scale parts is discussed and two methods for assembly are presented.

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