Pellet-based 3D Printing of Soft Thermoplastic Elastomeric Membranes for Soft Robotic Applications
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arXiv
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| _version_ | 1866908509175545856 |
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| author | Willemstein, Nick Imanian, Mohammad Ebrahim van der Kooij, Herman Sadeghi, Ali |
| author_facet | Willemstein, Nick Imanian, Mohammad Ebrahim van der Kooij, Herman Sadeghi, Ali |
| contents | Additive Manufacturing (AM) is a promising solution for handling the complexity of fabricating soft robots. However, the AM of hyperelastic materials is still challenging with a limited material range. Within this work, pellet-based 3D printing of very soft thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) was explored (down to Shore Hardness 00-30). Our results show that TPEs can have similar engineering stress and maximum elongation as Ecoflex OO-10. In addition, we 3D-printed airtight thin membranes (0.2-1.2 mm), which could inflate up to a stretch of 1320%. Combining the membrane's large expansion and softness with the 3D printing of hollow structures simplified the design of a bending actuator that can bend 180 degrees and reach a blocked force of 238 times its weight. In addition, by 3D printing TPE pellets and rigid filaments, the soft membrane could grasp objects by enveloping an object or as a sensorized sucker, which relied on the TPE's softness to conform to the object or act as a seal. In addition, the membrane of the sucker acted as a tactile sensor to detect an object before adhesion. These results suggest the feasibility of AM of soft robots using soft TPEs and membranes as a promising class of materials and sensorized actuators, respectively. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2503_20957 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Pellet-based 3D Printing of Soft Thermoplastic Elastomeric Membranes for Soft Robotic Applications Willemstein, Nick Imanian, Mohammad Ebrahim van der Kooij, Herman Sadeghi, Ali Robotics Additive Manufacturing (AM) is a promising solution for handling the complexity of fabricating soft robots. However, the AM of hyperelastic materials is still challenging with a limited material range. Within this work, pellet-based 3D printing of very soft thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) was explored (down to Shore Hardness 00-30). Our results show that TPEs can have similar engineering stress and maximum elongation as Ecoflex OO-10. In addition, we 3D-printed airtight thin membranes (0.2-1.2 mm), which could inflate up to a stretch of 1320%. Combining the membrane's large expansion and softness with the 3D printing of hollow structures simplified the design of a bending actuator that can bend 180 degrees and reach a blocked force of 238 times its weight. In addition, by 3D printing TPE pellets and rigid filaments, the soft membrane could grasp objects by enveloping an object or as a sensorized sucker, which relied on the TPE's softness to conform to the object or act as a seal. In addition, the membrane of the sucker acted as a tactile sensor to detect an object before adhesion. These results suggest the feasibility of AM of soft robots using soft TPEs and membranes as a promising class of materials and sensorized actuators, respectively. |
| title | Pellet-based 3D Printing of Soft Thermoplastic Elastomeric Membranes for Soft Robotic Applications |
| topic | Robotics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.20957 |