Designing for compliance at the microscale: DfAM lessons from a 2PP-printed bellows structure for sensing and actuation

AM enables the design of compliant mechanisms that encode functions directly into geometry. Existing DfAM frameworks rarely address microscale AM, such as two-photon polymerisation (2PP). We present the design process of an airtight, monolithic bellows structure in rigid 2PP resin that serves both as a sensor and an actuator. Through co-evolution of problem and solution, we identify 2PP-specific design considerations and opportunities, including fabrication uncertainties, cross-scale iteration, and design for post-processing, contributing to a case-based DfAM framework for microscale AM.