PDMS-based dual-channel pneumatic micro-actuator
This paper presents a monolithic novel polydimethylsiloxane-based dual-channel bellows-structured pneumatic actuator, fabricated through a sacrificial molding technique. A finite element analysis was performed to find the optimal structure and analyze the bending performance of the square-bellows ac...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English English |
| Published: |
IOP Publishing
2019
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://irep.iium.edu.my/76282/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/76282/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/76282/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/76282/1/SMS%20Paper_IOP.pdf http://irep.iium.edu.my/76282/7/76282_PDMS-based%20dual-channel%20pneumatic%20micro-actuator_Scopus.pdf |
| Summary: | This paper presents a monolithic novel polydimethylsiloxane-based dual-channel bellows-structured pneumatic actuator, fabricated through a sacrificial molding technique. A finite element analysis was performed to find the optimal structure and analyze the bending performance of the square-bellows actuator. The actuator was designed with an overall cross-sectional area of 5 × 5 mm2, while its structural parameters were characterized in terms of 8, 12, 16 and 20 number of bellows. The actuator models were fabricated using acrylonitrile butadiene styrene-based sacrificial molds to form the channel and bellows structures. The experimental validation has revealed that the actuator having highest number of bellows with a size of 5 × 5 × 68.4 mm3 attained a smooth bi-directional bending motion, with maximum angles of −65° and 75°, and force of 0.166 and 0.221 N under left and right channel actuation, respectively, at 100 kPa pressure. Hence, the state-of-the-art dual-channel square-bellows actuator was able to achieve an optimal bi-directional bending with slight variations to change in temperature, which would push the boundaries of soft robotics toward the development of safer and more flexible robotic surgical tools. |
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