Abstract
This paper proposes the design and 3D printing of a compact omnidirectional wheel optimized to create a small series of three-wheeled omnidirectional mobile robots. The omnidirectional wheel proposed is based on the use of free-rotating passive wheels aligned transversally to the center of the main wheel and with a constant separation gap. This paper compares a three inner-passive wheels design based on mass-produced parts and 3D printed elements. The inner passive wheel that better combines weight, cost, and friction is implemented with a metallic ball bearing fitted inside a 3D printed U-grooved ring that holds a soft toric joint. The proposed design has been implemented using acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and tough polylactic acid (PLA) as 3D printing materials in order to empirically compare the deformation of the weakest parts of the mechanical design. The conclusion is that the most critical parts of the omnidirectional wheel are less prone to deformation and show better mechanical properties if they are printed horizontally (with the axes that hold the passive wheels oriented parallel to the build surface), with an infill density of 100% and using tough PLA rather than ABS as a 3D printing material.
Highlights
The development of 3D printers based on additive manufacturing (AM) has simplified the implementation of mechanical parts of electromechanical prototypes in different fields such as robotics.For example, Stroud et al [1] designed and implemented a prototype of a 3D printed teen-sized humanoid soccer robot, DeMario et al [2] and Ćurković et al [3] developed 3D printed legged walking robots, Chavdarov et al [4] developed a 3D printed walking robot with the minimum number of motors and a simple design and control system, and Joyee et al [5] proposed, implemented and tested a AM technologies based on extruding fused filament are commonly referred to as fused deposition modelling (FDM) or fused filament fabrication (FFF)
This paper proposes the design and 3D printing of a compact omnidirectional wheel optimized to create a small series of three-wheeled omnidirectional mobile robots
This paper proposes the implementation of an omnidirectional wheel based on 3D printing in order to promote the creation of a small series of compact three-wheel omnidirectional mobile robots mostly based on 3D printing
Summary
The development of 3D printers based on additive manufacturing (AM) has simplified the implementation of mechanical parts of electromechanical prototypes in different fields such as robotics. Proposed the analysis of the effects of the printing parameters on the tensile and flexural strength of FDM and FFF PLA parts. Analyzed the influence of printing parameters in the mechanical behavior of PLA and ABS samples, obtaining the conclusion that the PLA was stiffer and had greater flexural strength than ABS. This conclusion was consistent with the mechanical properties provided by the manufacturers of the filaments compared. The conclusions of the empirical assessment of ABS and tough PLA as thermoplastic filaments will have application in the implementation of devices and micro devices based on 3D printing [17]
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