Inkbit

Penn State Engineering Students Use 3D Printing to Build Robotic Arm

ST Dentistry

Share this Article

3dp_3ds_pennstate_penn_logoWhen Penn State University industrial engineering doctoral student Rakshith Badarinath was just a child, he already knew that his future would involve a career in manufacturing. With his eyes glued to Discovery Channel shows about car factories and the like, he eventually decided to pursue a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Siddagana Institute of Technology in India. Following that, Badarinath ended up attending Penn State for his graduate studies, which is where he was introduced to 3D printing technology for the first time in his life.

Ever since that fateful day, Badarinath has been working with faculty members from the Harold and Inge Marcus Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering to convert old machines into 3D printers for the department’s Factory for Advanced Manufacturing Education (FAME) lab. Now, Badarinath has collaborated with Shu Shu Wang, who at the start of the project was working toward her master’s degree in industrial engineering, to build a robotic arm with the help of multiple 3D printing processes. The two innovators were connected by their advisor, Vittal Prabhu, and together, they worked to develop a robotic arm that would help improve manufacturing operations.

roboticarm

Penn State industrial engineering doctoral student Rakshith Badarinath and the 3D printed robotic arm. [Photo: Emily Chambers / Penn State News]

Badarinath was able to purchase the plans and coding for the “MeArm” robotic arm through an open-source software platform. His collaborator, Wang, had previously written a thesis comparing the results of different 3D printing processes to create an object, which is what the duo did to optimize their robotic arm. The university’s FAME lab is currently equipped with both FDM printing and material jetting, both of which were used to produce parts for their robotic project. After two months of researching both processes, Badarinath and Wang decided that material jetting was the best option for their endeavor, as it proved to be more precise and have better resolution than FDM 3D printing.

“We were focused on seeing if 3D printing would change the functionality of the arm,” Badarinath said. “Different processes can render different results. We wanted to know which was the most accurate and if inaccuracies would alter the end effect for the arm, which is extending and then gripping something.”

roboticarm2Since the completion of their project, Wang has graduated with her master’s degree, while Badarinath still has three years left in his program, and is already off to another project. 3D printing technology has become a valuable asset for the production of robotic arms, whether they’re used for educational or assistive purposes. In the case of the two Penn State students, their 3D printed robotic arm project was just an enjoyable side project. Currently, Badarinath is working on a major personal project, which involves using industrial robotics for 3D printing technology. Discuss further in the 3D Printed Robotic Arm forum over at 3DPB.com.

[Source: Penn State]

Share this Article


Recent News

3D Systems Makes Bid to Buy Stratasys — 3D Printing’s Biggest Deal Yet to Come?

3DPOD Episode 153: 3D Printing Success with 3Doodler Inventor Max Bogue



Categories

3D Design

3D Printed Art

3D Printed Food

3D Printed Guns


You May Also Like

Featured

Printing Money Emergency Broadcast: Stratasys and Desktop Metal to Merge in All-stock Deal

In what is shaping up to be the biggest deal in the 3D printing industry of 2023, Stratasys and Desktop Metal will combine to form a $1.8 billion company. Alex...

Featured

Printing Money Episode 4: Current VC Deals & More with Arno Held, AM Ventures Managing Partner

Arno Held, Managing Partner of AM Ventures, joins Alex and Danny for an episode heavily focused on recent VC deals, from series A to C+ across the globe, including ARRIS...

3DPOD Episode 152: Binder Jetting Flexible Materials with Chris Tuck, Reactive Fusion Founder

Chris Tuck is an entrepreneur and Nottingham University professor playing an outsized role in commercializing and researching new 3D printing technologies. He’s made a number of breakthroughs in binder jet,...

3DPOD Episode 151: Large Format Polymer 3D Printing with Max Heres, Loci Robotics

Before starting Loci Robotics, Max Heres had a storied history beginning with the study of polymer physics before working as a graduate research assistant at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and...