Abstract
Pneumatic bellows actuators are exceptionally suitable for Additive Manufacturing (AM) as the required geometrical complexity can easily be obtained and their functionality is not affected by rough surfaces and small dimensional accuracy. This paper is an extended version of a previously published contribution to the RoboSoft2018 conference in Livorno, Italy. The original paper (Dämmer et al., 2018) contains a simulation-driven design approach as well as experimental investigations of the structural and fatigue behavior of pneumatic multi-material PolyJet™ bellows actuators. This extended version is enhanced with investigations on the relaxation behavior of PolyJet bellows actuators. The presented results are useful for researchers and engineers considering the application of PolyJet bellows actuators for pneumatic robots.
Highlights
The design of future robotic systems will be shaped by the demand for a large product variety and short lead times but may at the same time benefit from the constant progress in manufacturing technologies
An optimization routine was realized to solve the above stated optimization problem based on the structural simulation and parameterization described above
The routine starts with the initial parameters xstart and nhw, start and terminates with the optimum parameters xopt and nhw, opt
Summary
The design of future robotic systems will be shaped by the demand for a large product variety and short lead times but may at the same time benefit from the constant progress in manufacturing technologies. In this context, multiple opportunities arise from the combination of AM and pneumatic actuation. In the conference paper (Dämmer et al, 2018), pneumatic multi-material PolyJet bellows actuators are presented. Their structural behavior is investigated and compared to structural simulations. The presented results contribute to the general knowledge concerning the use of PolyJet elastomers for pneumatic actuators and robots
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