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Robotic arms vary in purpose, but most are capable of performing pick-and-place tasks, while some are equipped for CNC work, laser engraving, and even 3D printing. Robotic arms have a wide range of applications and fields, from performing precision surgeries and performing industrial operations to fun toys for learning and interaction.
There are several options for having your own robotic arm, you can simply buy one, or use a 3D printer to easily design and build one yourself. These DIY arms can be customized and modified while being cost-effective.
Since there are hundreds of great designs and projects to sift through when deciding on the right robot arm to buy or print, we've narrowed the list down to the 12 best and most popular robot arms available today. These include robotic arms that you can DIY or buy.
If you need to view the STEP or STL drawings of the robotic arm, you can use NSDT 3DConvert, an online 3D format conversion tool , to avoid the trouble of installing software locally:
Before we start discussing the options, let’s look at some basic concepts and important terminology about robotic arms.
1. Basic concepts of robotic arms
Robot arms come in different styles, but most follow the same general principles of movement. Unlike Cartesian machines such as 3D printers, robotic arms utilize a polar coordinate system for movement and have an arc-shaped work area. Robotic arms are unique in that their footprint does not limit them and takes up very little space compared to other machines with similar capabilities.
We can see the various envelopes for the robot arm in the picture above. A robot's maximum envelope is the area it can traverse. The restricted envelope represents the area in which the robot can work, which is limited by the number, range, and type (linear or angular) of joints. Finally, the operating range is the area in which the robot will operate, and can be limited by, for example, limit switches.
In addition to Cartesian robot arms, there are several other robot arm configurations, such as cylindrical, spherical, selectively compliant articulated robot arms (SCARA), and delta (or parallel) robots.
A robot arm is usually represented by its degrees of freedom (DOF). This term refers to the number of joints or axes of rotation on a particular arm; for example, a four-degree-of-freedom arm can rotate at four independent joints. The more degrees of freedom, the greater the range of motion possible.
The following projects are completely open source and DIY, and all require the use of a 3D printer to print certain components.
1、Eezybotarm Mk2
A larger and more powerful iteration of the original Eezybotarm,
the Eezybotarm Mk2 is an excellent example of a 4-DOF arm, fully 3D printed and comes with excellent assembly instructions. This robotic arm has won several competitions and is probably one of the simplest arm designs. There is also a Mk3 in development.
The project is designed to allow users to experiment with different control methods. You can use your computer to control this robotic arm to perform various actions, and you can store sequences of servo positions for later playback, either all at once or on a loop. You don't even need a computer to do this; it can be programmed to play when the button is pressed.
The project is intended to be educational and has over 120 builds and 43 remixes on Thingiverse, which shows that it is replicable and customizable. This is a great project that combines robotics with 3D printing.
- Degrees of freedom: 4
- Difficulty level: Easy
- Download address: Eezyrobots, Thingiverse, Instructables
2、MeArm
The MeArm is one of the most popular robot arm designs, and for good reason. It is made from simple parts that can be laser cut or 3D printed, and has a strong yet simple 4 degrees of freedom design.
This popular design has 15 Makes and 12 Remixes on Thingiverse and 24 shared projects on Instructables, highlighting its replicability. The arm is powered by four servos and an Arduino Uno or a Raspberry Pi, and the kit is available in several different colors, or you can build your own.
- Degrees of freedom: 4
- Difficulty level: Easy
- Download address: Instructables, Hackaday, Thingiverse
3、Go away
The Kauda robot arm has a simple design and the documentation is intuitive and clear. The components are fully open source and the parts are 3D printable, making them affordable. Therefore, it is one of the best robotics projects for beginners.
The five-degree-of-freedom arm is equipped with three stepper motors and two servo motors. When combined with an Arduino controller, it allows you to achieve fast and controlled movement. The robot's base is designed to house an Arduino Mega with a CNC shield. You can make the project more interesting by using some optional components such as optocouplers, LEDs and 12V signal lights.
- Degrees of freedom: 5
- Difficulty level: Easy
- Download address: DIY TECH, Instructables
4. BCN3D mobile
The BCN3D Moveo is an impressive 4 degrees of freedom arm controlled by an Arduino. It is fully 3D printed and open source, and has been tested as an educational tool, with many already being used in schools.
Since it is open source, it is not limited to its intended use, so it can be modified to complete a variety of tasks for anyone, from professional DIY enthusiasts to robotics experts. With 10 brands and 15 remixes and over 130,000 downloads on Thingiverse, the robotic arm is clearly replicable and customizable.
- Degrees of freedom: 4
- Difficulty level: Intermediate
- Download address: GitHub, Thingiverse
5、Zortrax Robotic Arm
The Zortrax robotic arm has a 5-degree-of-freedom design and is not necessarily the sturdiest for its size, with a maximum payload of just 100 grams. Still, its fully 3D-printed design is impressive and worth mentioning. It is unique in that only three axes are powered, while the others are manually positioned.
Designed to house a set of interchangeable tool heads, this arm can hand you a screwdriver or even give you a fist bump—whatever you want to do.
In addition to the website's information and documentation, there is a materials list and assembly guide, including electronics requirements and programming.
- Degrees of freedom: 5
- Difficulty level: Intermediate
- Download address: Zortrax, Instructables
6、 Arduino Robot Arm
This project is ideal if you want to control a robotic arm wirelessly via an app. Using a custom Android app found in the download guide, you can manage and program this Arduino-powered robotic arm from your phone screen.
This Android application was built using MIT App Inventor. Sliders in the app help move servos at the joints of the robot's arms. A separate slider controls the speed of the robot arm's movement. Finally, you can add a "Save" button that records the arm's position and replays it to perform the action.
- Degrees of freedom: 5
- Difficulty level: Intermediate
- Download address: How To Mechatronics
7、Thor
The main goal of the project is to create a robot that can be used in schools and universities to teach robotics to students. Developed by Hackaday creators AngelLM, Dan Royer and dannyvandenheuvel, the arm is completely open source and 3D printable.
It is a 6-degree-of-freedom arm that can carry loads up to 750 g and has a unique setup for extreme flexibility. Arduino Mega serves as the main control board of the robot. In addition, the developers created protective covers for the stepper motors. Most of the hardware components used in this project are ones you would find in a DIY 3D printer.
- Degrees of freedom: 6
- Difficulty level: Intermediate
- Download address: Hackaday
Next up, we've got some kits for those of you who want to build your own robot but don't want to spend the time sourcing all the parts! These kits contain everything you need to create a fully functional robotic arm, including complete building instructions.
8、OWI Edge – Wireless
The OWI Edge is another 4 degrees of freedom design, a simple arm for educational purposes. It is only available as a kit, but additional CPU interfaces can be purchased, allowing limited programming operations. It comes in the form of a USB interface, including a CD and a circuit board.
Driven by a DC motor, there is no encoder and limited accuracy, making this robotic arm more suitable for use as a toy. We included it on this list because it's a great kit for students interested in robotics and technology, and it also makes a great "desktop toy" during those boring lunch breaks. It can also be extensively modified as a platform for Arduino projects and other DIY purposes.
- Degrees of freedom: 4
- Difficulty level: Easy
- Purchase address: Amazon
- Approximate price: $50
9、Adeept
Adeept’s robotic arm is one of the best entry-level robotic arms on the market. It was developed using Arduino and is therefore completely open source. Additionally, the Adeept robotic arm is able to record movements and then execute them on its own. There is an OLED display on the arm that shows the robot's current position and the number of remaining steps.
The arm can be operated manually and remotely. On the driver board, the potentiometer can manually control the movement of the arm. Alternatively, PC software can be used to achieve the same control. You can create your own Adeept arm PC control GUI application with the help of tutorials available on its website.
- Degrees of freedom: 5
- Difficulty level: Intermediate
- Purchase address: Amazon
- Approximate price: $70
10、LewanSoul xArm
This robotic arm from LewanSoul features a metal body that offers precise control and a variety of movements. This is accomplished via a serial bus servo motor that also monitors the system's voltage, temperature, and angle.
With its sturdy construction, it has a payload capacity of 250 grams. The xArm kit comes with a controller, but if you choose, you can also use a PC mouse and software to achieve the same goals. It also has a wireless module that works with Android and Apple devices so you can control it remotely.
- Degrees of freedom: 6
- Difficulty level: Intermediate
- Purchase address: Amazon
- Approximate price: $200
11、UFactory uArm
Perhaps one of the most versatile robotic arms on this list, the uArm is now available in a third set of commercially available variants: the uArm Swift and the more advanced Swift Pro. It is a 4-degree-of-freedom arm that claims to have an accuracy of up to 0.2 mm.
The robotic arm is open source and compatible with Arduino, Raspberry Pi and Seeed Studio Grove kits. What makes it unique is that, when equipped with the appropriate tool head, the Swift Pro can laser engrave and 3D print and "learn" the movements without the need for a computer.
- Degrees of freedom: 4
- Difficulty level: Easy
- Purchase address: UFactory
- Approximate price: $800
12、PincherX 100
This robotic arm isn't something you can build yourself, but it does come with 3D printed parts, making it a great educational tool for those who don't have the time to assemble it. It comes with instructional videos and demos so you can have it working in under an hour!
The PincherX 100 ships fully assembled, but in homage to the other products on our list, some components of the arm are 3D printed using ABS. The use of this material ensures that it is both light and strong, weighing less than a kilogram. The robot has a working load of approximately 50 g and a repeatability accuracy of 5 mm.
While the robot doesn't have a huge payload capacity, it's well-suited for applications like machine learning and artificial intelligence. The arm comes with a number of open source demos and software packages to help you further develop your skills.
- Degrees of freedom: 4
- Difficulty level: Easy
- Purchase address: Trossen Robotics
- Approximate price: $550
Original link: 12 Best 3D Printing Robot Arms—BimAnt