A novel planar two axis leaf type notch flexure hinge with coincident rotation axes and its application to micropositioning stages Compliant mechanisms with flexure hinges are well suited for high precision applications due to their smooth and repeatable motion. However the synthesis of planar compliant mechanisms based on notch flexure hinges is mostly limited to the use of single axis hinges due to the lack of certain multiple axis flexure hinges. This contribution introduces a novel planar leaf type notch flexure hinge with two coincident rotation axes based on circular pre curved leaf springs. A generally suitable hinge geometry is determined through a parametric study using the finite element method (FEM). Finally the two axis flexure hinge is applied and investigated for the use in two planar micropositioning stages for the rectilinear guidance of an output link with a large centimeter stroke. The presented two axis flexure hinge turns out to be a suitable approach to monolithically connect three links of a compliant mechanism in a planar and precise way.