I'm excited to share a project I've been working on: a 6-DOF robotic arm designed completely from scratch on the platform, with the goal of 3D printing a functional prototype.
My focus was on a structured, engineering-driven approach to get from a concept to a fully validated digital model.
- Part Design: Every component—from the base and links to the motor brackets and gripper parts—was modeled individually in the Part Design app. A major focus here was Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM); I designed parts to be strong and printable without requiring excessive support material.
- Assembly Design: This is where it all came together. Using constraints, I built the full digital assembly of the arm. It was great to see how all the components fit and interacted before ever printing a single part.
- Mechanical System Simulation (Kinematics): This was the most crucial step. Using the platform's mechanical simulation tools, I defined each of the 6 revolute joints, set their real-world rotational limits, and built a full kinematic model. This allowed me to:
- Simulate the arm's complete range of motion.
- Visualize and confirm the working envelope.
- Check for any potential collisions between links during complex movements.
Seeing the digital model move exactly as intended was the perfect way to validate the geometry before moving on to the physical build.
The design is now locked, and the next phase is to bring it to life. I'll be 3D printing the components in PLA and integrating the electronics
