Laboratory for Dynamics of Machines and Structures 
3D printed thermal actuator



Abstract
Commercial additive technologies are gaining ground in the manufacture of soft actuators based on polymers responding to environmental stimuli (temperature, humidity, electromagnetic fields, etc.). As part of the final thesis, the student designs a thermal soft actuator from a combination of two polymeric materials with different coefficients of thermal expansion. The actuator is then fabricated on a fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printer and characterized by measuring the force or displacement depending on the temperature state.

(Figure source)