Flexonic Actuators

该项目的目标是开发一种可打印的致动器和相关的接头和联轴器，以实现“柔性”系统，即不需要组装的完全可打印的机电系统。制造工艺（2D和3D喷墨打印）应实现低成本。办法是使用可溶性和热塑性弹性体和喷墨技术。该项目将通过聚合物化学和纳米颗粒复合来探索致动器材料及其特性的定制。这项工作将实现低成本显示器，RFID标签，智能包装等，还有一个成熟的行业致力于塑料3D原型，其中包括SLS（烧结）和FDM（熔融沉积）工艺。这些工艺中的一些接近注塑塑料的材料完整性（例如强度）。目标是开发高性能、可打印的致动器和相关的接头和联轴器，以支持完整的机电系统的打印。为了实现有效的可打印致动器，需要在几个技术领域取得进展：（i）致动器材料：这需要测试各种可溶性和热塑性聚合物，并改进其关键特性：介电系数，介电击穿和模量。(ii)柔性触点：致动器的电接触必须达到与材料本身相当的模量，该模量显著低于当前的柔性接触。(iii)2.5D和3D打印技术：聚合物机械结构的制造需要在诸如（a）牺牲支撑层（B）喷射片材的均匀性（c）多层结构的平面性等领域取得进展。更广泛的影响高影响未来的影响包括廉价的，用户和任务特定的假肢，辅助移动和日常工作的老年人，并为那些有身体残疾。机电一体化打印机将支持快速部署机器人执行高风险任务，以及在自然灾害发生后进行搜索和救援。机电一体化打印机将大大缩短许多产品市场的上市时间，因为它可以更快速地创建和测试原型。机电一体化打印机将在设计和工程教育中发挥重要作用。PI创建了一个跨学科的设计实验室（伯克利设计研究所），其中包含几个商业快速原型系统。他还教授研究生课程“设计实现2”，其中包括快速原型和材料的基本物理和化学，以及活性聚合物。最终的目标是将本研究中开发的打印机作为原型工具引入设计实验室。该项目将主要支持研究生培训。本科生也参加了该项目，并正在分别为他们寻求支持，这项工作的结果将在著名的会议（如SPIE EAPAD）和伯克利网站上传播。制定的任何代码都将在网上提供。

The objective of this project is to develop a printable actuator and associated joints and couplings to enable "flexonic" systems, that is, fully printable mechatronic systems that require no assembly. The fabrication processes (2D and 3D inkjet printing) should achieve low cost. The approach is to use soluble and thermoplastic elastomers and ink-jetting technology. The project will explore actuator materials and tailoring of their properties through polymer chemistry and nano-particle compositing.Intellectual MeritThere has been much recent progress on printable electronics. That work will enable low-cost displays, RFID tags, smart packaging etc. There is also a mature industry devoted to 3D prototyping with plastics, which include SLS (Sintering) and FDM (Fused-Deposition) processes. Some of these processes approach the material integrity (e.g. strength) of injection-molded plastic. The goal is to develop high-performance, printable actuators and associated joints and couplings, to support the printing of complete mechatronic systems.To achieve an effective printable actuator requires progress in several device areas of technical interest:(i) Actuator materials: this requires testing of various soluble and thermoplastic polymers, and refinement of their key properties: dielectric coefficient, dielectric breakdown, and modulus.(ii) Flexible contacts: electric contacts to the actuators must achieve a modulus comparable with the material itself, which is significantly lower than current flexible contacts.(iii) 2.5D and 3D printing techniques: fabrication of polymer mechanical structures requires progress in areas such as (a) sacrificial support layers (b) homogeneity of jetted sheets (c) planarity of multi-layer structures. Broader ImpactsHigh-impact future implications include inexpensive, user- and task-specific prostheses, aids for mobility and everyday tasks for the elderly, and for those with physical disability. The mechatronic printer would support the rapid deployment of robots for high-risk tasks, and for search and rescue following natural disasters.A mechatronic printer should dramatically decrease time-to-market in many product markets, because it enables more rapid creation and testing of prototypes. A mechatronic printer would have an important role in design and engineering education. The PI created an interdisciplinary design lab (The Berkeley Institute of Design), which contains several commercial rapid-prototyping systems. He also teaches a graduate course "Design Realization 2" which covers rapid prototyping and basic physics and chemistry of materials, and active polymers. The eventual goal is to introduce the printer developed in this research as a prototyping tool into the design lab. This project will primarily support graduate student training. Undergraduates are also participating in the project and support is being sought for them separately.The results of this work will be disseminated at well-known conferences (e.g. SPIE EAPAD) and on Berkeley web sites. Any code developed will be available on the web.