Parallel Gripper (Compliant Mechanism)
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Fully functional one-piece parallel gripper with flexible jaws. Push to close, pull to open. No assembly needed.
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Model information
- Source
- Printables
- Category
- Engineering
- License
- Creative Commons — Attribution — Noncommercial — NoDerivatives
This is a fully functional one-piece parallel gripper, based entirely on a compliant mechanism. No screws, no assembly or separate springs it is just one 3D-printed part!
The gripper is operated using a central sliding button. Push to close, pull to open. The two jaws move almost perfectly parallel to each other and can adapt to objects of different widths.
What makes this design particularly interesting is its combination of two parallel-guiding mechanisms on each side. The first moves the jaws in parallel, while the second allows them to flex and adapt to different objects.
The mechanism also uses specially shaped cam profiles to reduce the influence of the gripping force on the central actuator.
Some technical details:
Dimensions 98 × 98 × 4,8 mm
One single part with no assembly required
Central push/pull actuation
Approximately 6 mm actuator travel
14 mm opening for inserting objects
Designed to grip objects between 4 and 10 mm wide
How do you print it?
I recommend starting with the following settings:
PLA
Layer height 0,20 mm
100% infill in rigid sections
Some of the flexible sections are only 0.6 mm wide, so make sure your slicer generates continuous extrusion paths. A 0.4 mm nozzle with variable line width or a smaller 0.25 mm nozzle may be necessary. The design also includes small bridging sections that can be challenging to print... please keep this in mind and make sure that no supports are placed inside the moving gaps.
After printing, carefully test the mechanism and force the mechanism if something doesn't move as expected.
Have fun experimenting!
I really enjoy designing compliant mechanisms because they can perform surprisingly complex movements without conventional joints, bearings or separate springs.
This design is another experiment in exploring what's possible with a single flexible part.
If you print one yourself, feel free to share your results. Feedback, suggestions and ideas for improvements are always welcome.
I hope you have as much fun with it as I had designing it :)