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This paper aims to present the numerical analysis of displacements, forces and bend angles of three different structural designs of a soft actuator using the finite element method. The results of this analysis help understand the physical behavior of the soft pneumatic actuator.

The soft actuator is designed using commercial modeling software, and the design of the actuator is analyzed using ABAQUS 19.0 with a standard implicit nonlinear analysis. There are three types of structural designs for actuators, namely, rectangular-base model, trapezoidal-base model and the trapezoidal model considered in the present study.

Maximum displacement, force and bend angle are observed in the rectangular-base model at various pressure levels.

The development of novel designs of the soft pneumatic actuator to undertake a comparative analysis of displacement, force and bend angle.

This papers aims to study lattice structures in terms of geometric variables, manufacturing variables and material-based variants and their correlation with compressive behaviour for their application in a methodology for the design and development of personalized elastic therapeutic products.

Lattice samples were designed and manufactured using extrusion-based additive manufacturing technologies. Mechanical tests were carried out on lattice samples for elasticity characterization purposes. The relationships between sample stiffness and key geometric and manufacturing variables were subsequently used in the case study on the design of a pressure cushion model for validation purposes. Differentiated areas were established according to patient’s pressure map to subsequently make a correlation between the patient’s pressure needs and lattice samples stiffness.

A substantial and wide variation in lattice compressive behaviour was found depending on the key study variables. The proposed methodology made it possible to efficiently identify and adjust the pressure of the different areas of the product to adapt them to the elastic needs of the patient. In this sense, the characterization lattice samples turned out to provide an effective and flexible response to the pressure requirements.

This study provides a generalized foundation of lattice structural design and adjustable stiffness in application of pressure cushions, which can be equally applied to other designs with similar purposes. The relevance and contribution of this work lie in the proposed methodology for the design of personalized therapeutic products based on the use of individual lattice structures that function as independent customizable cells.

The purpose of this paper is to optimize the key parameters (mesh count, paper type and ink type) in screen printing, which are affecting the printed ink volume. The objective of the optimization was to maximize the color reliability by decreasing the color difference (ΔE value) of the prints while minimizing the ink consumption. Screen printing is still dominating the printing industry to make cost-effective production when high volumes are needed.

The experiment was designed using the Taguchi method, and the samples were prepared with screen-printing by using the standard squeegee angle and pressure. The effect of mesh count, ink type and paper type on ink consumption was evaluated with using analysis of variances and main effects plots of S/N ratio and standard deviation.

The factors ink type, paper type and mesh count were found significant for ink consumption due to their Probability (P) values which were lower than 0.05. It was determined that the mesh count was the most critical variable with the analysis of variance. The analysis showed that the selection of an optimum mesh count was the key to controlling the amount of the deposited ink. Although mesh counts were inversely proportional with the ink consumptions, they did not affect the color differences as expected.

The optimization of process parameters, that are most effective on the print quality, is necessary to minimize the ink usage and lower the costs and environmental impact without exceeding the desired ΔE value limits.

This study provides an up-to-date review of additive manufacturing (AM) technologies and guidance for selecting the most appropriate ones for specific applications, taking into account the main features, strengths, and limitations of the existing options.

A literature review on AM technologies was conducted to assess the current state-of-the-art. This was followed by a closer examination of different AM machines to gain a deeper insight into their main features and operational characteristics. The conclusions and data gathered were used to formulate a classification and decision-support framework.

The findings indicate the building blocks of the selection process for AM technologies. Furthermore, this work shows the suitability of the existing AM technologies for specific cases and points to opportunities for technological and decision-support improvements. Lastly, more standardization in AM would be beneficial for future research.

The proposed framework offers valuable support for decision-makers to select the most suitable AM technologies, as demonstrated through practical examples of its utilization. In addition, it can help researchers identify the limitations of AM by pinpointing applications where existing technologies fail to meet the requirements.

The study offers a novel classification and decision-support framework for selecting AM technologies, incorporating machine characteristics, process features, physical properties of printed parts, and costs as key features to evaluate the potential of AM. Additionally, it provides a deeper understanding of these features as well as the potential opportunities for AM and its impact on various industries.