Development and integration of high straightness flexure guiding mechanisms dedicated to the METAS watt balance Mark II

There is a firm will in the metrology community to redefine the kilogram in the International System of units by linking it to a fundamental physical constant. The watt balance is a promising way to link the mass unit to the Planck constant h. At the Federal Institute of Metrology METAS a second watt balance experiment is under development. A decisive part of the METAS Mark II watt balance is the mechanical linear guiding system. The present paper discusses the development and the metrological characteristics of two guiding systems that were conceived by the Laboratoire de Systemes Robotiques of EPFL and built using flexure mechanical elements. Integration in the new setup is also described.