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<p>Soft Pneumatic Actuators (SPAs) are essential in soft robotics due to their diversity, compact design, and adaptability. However, existing actuator models struggle with balancing stiffness and bending performance. This study presents a methodology using Polyjet multi-material 3D-printing to fabricate SPA with integrated lattice-reinforced layers. The core part of SPA is made with Agilus 50A material; a lattice layer is integrated with the soft actuator in a sandwich configuration to enhance the mechanical performance. Four lattice configurations hexagonal honeycomb, re-entrant auxetic, tetrahedral, and gyroid are designed with adjustable porosity and stiffness gradients to optimize bending characteristics and reversibility. Compression tests were also carried out on PolyJet 3D-printed lattice specimens (ASTM D695) to analyze their stress, strain characteristics and quantify the elastic modulus, yield stress, and ultimate strength for each lattice configuration. In addition, Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was also carried out to predict the actuator’s structural response, including stress distribution, strain level, deformation, shear force, and internal pressure response under pneumatic actuation. The experimental results indicate that lattice structures enhance the mechanical characteristics, showing a 200% improvement in tip force and a 300% increase in stiffness compared to non-lattice SPA under 0-100&#xa0;kPa pressure. Reversibility test showed that the hybrid lattice-integrated actuator achieves quicker reversible performance, requiring 5.5&#xa0;s for maximum bending and 9.0&#xa0;s to recover its original configuration. The study proposes a design structure for embedding lattice patterns into SPAs, enabling enhanced performance across wearable robots, biomedical devices, and assistive technology.</p>

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Enhanced performance of 3D printed soft pneumatic actuators with polyjet fabricated lattice layers: A study on bending characteristics and stiffness

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月25日

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  • Senthilkumar Kaliappan,
  • Manikanda Subramanian Krishnamurthy,
  • Veerakumar Adaikalasamy,
  • Arun Prasath Varadharajan

摘要

Soft Pneumatic Actuators (SPAs) are essential in soft robotics due to their diversity, compact design, and adaptability. However, existing actuator models struggle with balancing stiffness and bending performance. This study presents a methodology using Polyjet multi-material 3D-printing to fabricate SPA with integrated lattice-reinforced layers. The core part of SPA is made with Agilus 50A material; a lattice layer is integrated with the soft actuator in a sandwich configuration to enhance the mechanical performance. Four lattice configurations hexagonal honeycomb, re-entrant auxetic, tetrahedral, and gyroid are designed with adjustable porosity and stiffness gradients to optimize bending characteristics and reversibility. Compression tests were also carried out on PolyJet 3D-printed lattice specimens (ASTM D695) to analyze their stress, strain characteristics and quantify the elastic modulus, yield stress, and ultimate strength for each lattice configuration. In addition, Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was also carried out to predict the actuator’s structural response, including stress distribution, strain level, deformation, shear force, and internal pressure response under pneumatic actuation. The experimental results indicate that lattice structures enhance the mechanical characteristics, showing a 200% improvement in tip force and a 300% increase in stiffness compared to non-lattice SPA under 0-100 kPa pressure. Reversibility test showed that the hybrid lattice-integrated actuator achieves quicker reversible performance, requiring 5.5 s for maximum bending and 9.0 s to recover its original configuration. The study proposes a design structure for embedding lattice patterns into SPAs, enabling enhanced performance across wearable robots, biomedical devices, and assistive technology.