An Open-Source 3D Printed Three-Fingered Robotic Gripper for Adaptable and Effective Grasping

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Additive Manufacturing
• Mechanical Engineering

Background:

• Robotic grippers are crucial for automation in industrial and research settings.
• Existing solutions can be costly and lack adaptability.
• Need for cost-effective, easily integrable robotic end-effectors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and develop a low-cost, efficient, and reliable three-finger adaptive gripper.
• To enable easy integration with various robot arms.
• To provide a scalable solution for robotic manipulation.

Main Methods:

• Utilized additive manufacturing (3D printing) with Polylactic Acid (PLA) and Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU).
• Performed stress analysis and simulations for component refinement.
• Integrated a Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller for precise control.
• Ensured design for cost-effective maintenance with locally available parts.

Main Results:

• The adaptive gripper successfully grasped diverse objects like a soda can and a pencil.
• Demonstrated effective integration and precise control on an actual robotic arm.
• Validated the gripper's performance under load through simulations and tests.

Conclusions:

• The developed three-finger adaptive gripper is a scalable and economical solution.
• Additive manufacturing enables the creation of efficient and reliable robotic end-effectors.
• This research contributes significantly to advancing robotic manipulation in industrial applications.