Design for Additive Manufacturing: An Integrated Robotic Arm and Hydraulic Manifold

Wold, Travis L.

Student Work

Design for Additive Manufacturing: An Integrated Robotic Arm and Hydraulic Manifold Public

The goal of this project is to design a hydraulically actuated arm specifically for additive manufacturing. Hydraulics systems require a manifold to direct fluid from the pump to the actuators and back to the reservoir tank. Design for additive manufacturing enables the manifold to be integrated into the structural member of the arm and have optimized flow paths that are impossible to produce using traditional manufacturing methods. I have produced several polymer prototypes to directly compare the performance of the designed for additive manufacturing part with the traditional hydraulic manifold.

Creator