Comparison of Concentrated and Distributed Compliant Elements in a 3D Printed Gripper

Compliant elements overcome many of the shortfalls of using 3D printing to create mechanisms, as print artefacts such as ‘stair stepping’ can cause issues with conventional joints. One of the key decisions when designing a compliant mechanism is choosing to either concentrate the compliance into a small region that resembles a conventional hinge, or distribute it over a larger area. This research details the simulated deformation and stress difference between these two types of compliant elements for a 3D printed gripper. Results show that for the same gripper deformation, the distributed compliant element experiences much less stress, at the expense of stiffness in secondary loading directions