Functional giant robot arm completely from the 3D printer

In a YouTube video, maker Ivan Miranda documents the construction of a large robotic arm using a 3D printer. The arm was printed entirely from plastic, except for a few parts, and is fully functional.

According to the video, Miranda first modeled the robot’s fingers in CAD and designed a mechanism with cables and servo motors. The servos are placed in the palm of the hand and use cables to move the three-limbed fingers. After printing, the complex assembly and adjustment took place.

The video shows the entire process from design to manufacturing to functional testing. Miranda emphasizes that the ambitious project was only feasible in a manageable amount of time and money thanks to 3D printing. According to him, it impressively demonstrates today’s possibilities for manufacturing even complex mechatronic systems.

The finished robotic hand is agile and powerful. However, the servo motors consume a lot of power. In the future, Miranda therefore plans to integrate a position feedback mechanism to increase precision and energy efficiency.

Overall, the robotic arm is a testament to the power of 3D printing. In the past, making such an arm would have been nearly impossible. Now, a maker could design and manufacture all the components themselves. The video should provide inspiration to interested tinkerers about what 3D printing can do.

Ivan Miranda recently caused a stir when he used a large 3D printer to produce a life-size statue in one print run.