DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL AIR BELLOW ACTUATOR FOR ROBOTIC APPLICATION

For robotic and light duty automation industry, the actuator should have high force to weight value. In this paper the alternative of the small pneumatic cylinder is presented, linear Bellow Actuator. Advantages regarding bellow actuator for robotic application are discussed. Bellow actuator for small scale application, around 50N to 500N force requirement it is not available in the market. Bellow actuators in common posses’ very high retentive force. These properties for most of the robotics or light weight pick and place automation application seems not beneficial and reduces its uses.  In this paper, guideline to make the bellow actuator having low retentive force is presented that includes the design process, manufacturing method and the results of the experiments like velocity profile, retentive force profile, Force vs. pressure graph. Obtained properties of bellows were then compared with pneumatic cylinder.  .