A surgical instrument (10), comprising: a housing (12)； an end effector (14) operable from the housing to surgically manipulate tissue, the end effector including first and second opposable jaw members (30, 32) movable from an open configuration for receiving tissue to a closed configuration for manipulating tissue； an elongated shaft (16) extending between the housing and the end effector and defining a longitudinal axis therethrough, the elongated shaft selectively translatable between an aligned configuration and an articulated configuration with respect to the longitudinal axis； a driving assembly (60) including a drive wire (68), the driving assembly configured to induce motion in the jaw members between the open configuration and the closed configuration, the driving assembly further configured to maintain a closure pressure between the jaw members when disposed in the closed configuration in the range of about 3kg/cm2 to about 16 kg/cm2； and a clutch assembly (83) connected to the drive wire and the end effector to maintain the closure pressure between jaw members during transition of the elongated shaft between the articulated configuration and the aligned configuration, the clutch configured to slip when a driving force applied by the drive wire exceeds a predetermined value.
