Mechanical Parts Manufactured by a 3D Printer for Industrial Robot

Abstract

The scope of application of 3D printing has been expanding due to the diversification of materials that can be used. However, the design of parts manufactured by 3D printing depends on the individual know-how, which raises the threshold for the introduction of 3D printing. In this study, we propose two methods for applying 3D printing to industry: the assembly during modeling and the stacking draft. The assembly during modeling is a method to stop printing in the middle of the process and bury the parts, which reduces the assembly time and the size of the parts. The stacking draft is inspired by the drafting gradient in die design and eliminates the support structure. It was confirmed that the introduction of this method reduced the manufacturing cost.