Influence of 3D Printing Filling Density on Vibration Characteristics of Robot Structure

To reduce the weight of a mechanical arm, 3D printing is gradually being applied to the field of robotics. A lightweight robotic arm indirectly reduces the torque required of the motor and reduces the overall cost and energy consumption of the robot. However, with 3D printing, there is no standard for choosing the filling density. A low filling density means fast printing, cost saving, and light weight. A high filling density results in superior bending strength and more perfect appearance. Compared with high-rigidity metals, resin is more easily affected by vibrations. To apply 3D printing technology to industrial robotic arms and other applications that require motion precision in future, we start with the influence of the filling density on the vibration characteristics, take the settling time required for the manipulator to return to rest after vibration as the criterion. The optimal filling density and the applicable occasions of different filling densities are discussed. According to the experimental results, printing with low filling density is preferred in applications that require less load or impact on the robotic arm such as chip manufacturing. For robotic arms that require high-load operations or high impact on the arm, high-fill-density printing is preferred.