How to assembly the 3D printed parts and servo motors of the robotic arm

• • Idiwork

• 28/01/2020

Experiment #204 – Discover How to assembly the 3D printed parts and servo motors of the robotic arm

This Experiment is based on the DIY Arduino Robot Arm with Smartphone Control project from How To Mechatronics website. You can get the 3D model and the .STL files there.

 

1.     Importing and Slicing the STL Files

First, we imported the .STL files into PrusaSlicer to generate the .GCODE files for the 3D printer. We added supports to the model for better printing of some parts:

 

 

2.     3D Printing the Robotic Arm Parts

All the robotic arm parts can be 3D printed. We used an i3 MK2S 3D printer from Prusa 3D and PLA filament from Smart Materials 3D:

 

 

3.     Collecting the 3D Printed Parts

We chose black PLA filament for the base cylinder, red color for the arm central parts, four in total, and white for the entire grip:

 

 

4.     Collecting Servo Motors and Screws

For the next steps we needed to collect:

• 3x SG90 micro servos with 6x screws
• 3x small white connectors with 6x + 3x screws
• 3x MG996R servo motors with 12x screws
• 3x big black connectors with 6x + 3x screws
• 7x 200mm M3 screws with nuts and flat washers

You can view that video to get a visual reference of all those items:

 

 

5.     Screwing the Servo Motors

First, we mounted a MG996R servo on the waist of the arm. Then we screwed two circular connectors on the central part of the arm. We used another MG996R motor for the shoulder and one of each of the elbow and the wrist. After that, we mounted a connector and a SG90 servo on the upper part of the arm. Finally, the last SG90 was fixed to the grip:

 

 

 

6.     Assembling the Robotic Arm

First, we screwed a connector on the servo of the grip and then, we used all M3 screws and nuts to mount the grip. After that, we put a connector on the base of the arm and a rubber band to support the shoulder. Then, we screwed the rest of the connectors to the motors. Finally, we attached the grip to the end of the arm: