Low Cost Modular Actuator Fabrication with Aid of Additive Manufacturing, Utilizing Brushless D.C. Motor and Its Control Electronics for Robotics Application

This paper presents a method of fabricating a low-cost, low-complex Brushless D.C. Motor-based modular actuator for robotics application. A modular actuator using generic hobby brushless motors is fabricated with the aid of an additive manufacturing method (3D-Printing). This work inspects about designing and modification of an actuator. The prototype can be fabricated using 3D printing for a particular application. To test the working of the actuator and control mechanism Arduino UNO R3 and triple half-bridge motor driver I.C. (L6234D) is used. Further, advancements to implement Field Oriented Control are explored using ESP32S and a custom-made DRV8305 BLDC driver board along with an AS5147 absolute encoder. In contrast to costly actuators, additive manufacturing provides ease of inhouse prototyping and modification.