The document discusses the capabilities of a 5-axis hybrid manufacturing printer for producing complex shapes using versatile material printing including composites, elastomers, and multi-material printing. It highlights applications such as soft pneumatic actuators, prosthetic fingers, and 4D printing of prosthetic fingers using dielectric elastomer actuators. Previous research on 3D printing of actuators and bellows using conventional printers produced variations in dimensions and properties that a 5-axis printer could improve on through its increased flexibility and precision of deposition and subtractive manufacturing.

1. Hybrid Manufacturing in
5 Axis printer
Diabase Engineering

2. Capabilities
• Versatile with Composite Manufacturing
• Saves time with Subtractive Manufacturing
• Flexible material printing with Elastomer Printing
• Produces support less structure with 4D and 5D
motion
• Complex shape print (eg.Sphere) with versatile work
holding setup

3. Printability comparison of Elastomers with
Conventional manufacturing
• Earlier research of 3D printing
Silicone actuator have showed
extreme variations in final
dimensions due to lack of ability
to handle elastomer material
• The Diabase printer can be used
for Research on printability of
Silicone for Robotic actuator. The
final dimensions and mechanical
properties can be compared
with the print of Conventional
3D printers.
Reference:
Morrow J, Hemleben S, Menguc Y. Directly fabricating soft robotic
actuators with an open-source 3-D printer. IEEE Robotics and
Automation Letters. 2016 Aug 8;2(1):277-81.

4. Soft Pneumatics – A study
on bellow design
Reference:
• Yap HK, Ng HY, Yeow CH. High-force soft
printable pneumatics for soft robotic
applications. Soft Robotics. 2016 Sep
1;3(3):144-58.

5. Soft Pneumatics
– A study on
bellow design
• Earlier research suggests bellow design and
behaviour based on conventional 3D printing
Technology
• Earlier bellow designs lack cylindricity. It may have
been due to weak Z axis material strength in
conventional Printers
• Also it had overhang material problem.
• With the advent of 5D printer, Cylindrical bellow can
be designed with the help of work holder without
any overhanging materials
• The final design can be evaluated and compared

6. Prosthetic Finger
• Researches have been made to
increase mechanical
augumentation of the prosthetic
finger such as this one, where
they have used separately made
PVC sheets
• Using Muti-material printing, the
stiffness augumenting part can
be designed and manufactured
completely using 3D printing
Reference:
Mutlu R, Yildiz SK, Alici G, in het Panhuis M, Spinks
GM. Mechanical stiffness augmentation of a 3D
printed soft prosthetic finger. In2016 IEEE
International Conference on Advanced Intelligent
Mechatronics (AIM) 2016 Jul 12 (pp. 7-12). IEEE.

7. 4D printing of prosthetic finger
• Dielectric elastomer actuator can replace Tendron cable material
• Dielectric elastomer actuator is capable of deforming at electrical
signals
• So when replaced, the finger movement can be controlled with the
help of electrical stimulus.
• Its feasibility has to be studied and evaluated.
References:
1.Pourazadi S, Bui H, Menon C. Investigation on a soft grasping gripper based on dielectric elastomer
actuators. Smart Materials and Structures. 2019 Feb 1;28(3):035009.
2.Rossiter J, Walters P, Stoimenov B. Printing 3D dielectric elastomer actuators for soft robotics. Proc SPIE
Int Soc Opt Eng 2009;7287:1–10, 72870H

8. Photopolymer Resin extrusion
Reference:
Asif M, Lee JH, Lin-Yip MJ, Chiang S, Levaslot A, Giffney T, Ramezani M, Aw KC. A new photopolymer
extrusion 5-axis 3D printer. Additive Manufacturing. 2018 Oct 1;23:355-61.

9. THANK YOU