Frontiers in Robotics and AI (May 2019)

PolyJet-Printed Bellows Actuators: Design, Structural Optimization, and Experimental Investigation

  • Gabriel Dämmer,
  • Gabriel Dämmer,
  • Sven Gablenz,
  • Alexander Hildebrandt,
  • Zoltan Major

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/frobt.2019.00034
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 6

Abstract

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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.

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