3 results about "Electroactive polymer actuators" patented technology

An instrument suitable for use in a surgical procedure may include (a) a body having a distal end and a proximal end, the body having a conduit between the distal end and the proximal end through which a fluid is allowed to flow under the suction; and (b) one or more actuators attached or embedded in the body, each actuator comprising one or more electroactive polymer layers that provides a mechanical motion at the distal end in response to simulation by an associated one of the electrical control signals, wherein the electrical control signals are provided in a predetermined coordinated pattern. The predetermined coordinated pattern may involve two or more groups of the actuators being activated sequentially, concurrently or a combination thereof.

An instrument suitable for surgical procedures may include: (a) a body having a distal end and a proximal end, and including a lumen between the distal and proximal ends through which a fluid moves during suction; and (b) one or more actuators attached to or embedded in the body, each actuator comprising one or more electroactive polymer layers that provide mechanical motion at the distal end in response to stimulation by a corresponding electrical control signal, the electrical control signal being supplied in a predetermined coordinated pattern. The predetermined coordinated pattern may include operating two or more groups of actuators sequentially, simultaneously, or in combination thereof.

This invention discloses a 3D printing method for preparing an ionic electroactive polymer actuator, belonging to the fields of intelligent drive materials and additive manufacturing technology. The process includes: melt-blending perfluorosulfonic acid resin particles and thermoplastic resin particles to extrude 3D printing filaments; fabricating a precursor structure through fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing; embedding soluble powder for heat treatment; hydrolyzing and cleaning to obtain an ion exchange membrane; depositing metal electrodes on the membrane surface through chemical plating; and finally performing ion exchange to ultimately prepare the ionic electroactive polymer actuator. The method provided by this invention reduces the printing difficulty of perfluorosulfonic acid resin filaments, overcomes the current spatial forming challenges in ionic electroactive polymer 3D printing, and controls the deformation direction of the ionic electroactive polymer actuator through the texture formed by 3D printing, achieving multi-mode deformation such as bending and torsion. This enriches the structural and functional properties of ionic electroactive polymer actuators and broadens their application range.