Modeling and Characterization of 3D Printed Flexible Mesh Structure for Wearable Interface

Wearable devices necessitate an effective yet adaptable human-robot physical interface to facilitate the system's functionality and user comfort. Utilizing soft materials such as thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) in a 3D printed wearable interface has gained popularity over the past few decades. Nevertheless, most current 3D printed wearable interfaces or textiles are developed without systematic considerations of the design parameters that influence the mechanical characteristics, such as tensile strength, elongation at break, and Young's modulus. Variation of the strand thickness, strand distance, rotation angle, and layer height affect the above-mentioned mechanical behaviors, linearly or non-linearly. This research focuses on delineating this relationship between the design parameters and the mechanical traits. The modeling technique of a 3D printed flexible mesh structure with different combinations of these design parameters is introduced, followed by an experimental method and analysis to investigate the impact of the design parameters on the structure's mechanical properties. Finally, a regression model is developed based on the empirical data incorporating the revealed parameter-to-property relationships. The results of this study infer key design considerations and guidelines for general 3D printed flexible mesh structures for wearable interface applications.