Fully Compliant Pliers

Summary

Compliant Mechanisms

A mechanism is a mechanical device used to transfer or transform motion, force, or energy. Traditional rigid-body mechanisms consist of rigid links connected at movable joints. A compliant mechanism is a mechanism that gains at least some of its mobility from the deflection of flexible members rather than from movable joints only.

Compliant mechanisms have many benefits such as decrease in friction, easier manufacturing processes, precise motion, and lower part count. As in the case of these fully compliant pliers, you can manufacture the mechanism in a single part and no assembly is required in some cases.

Printing and Performance

Print out of a flexible filament for the longest-lasting prints. PETG is probably the best choice among the common filament types.

The design was originally designed to be milled from ¼" polypropylene sheet.

Learn More

This design was developed by the Compliant Mechanisms Research Group (CMR) from Brigham Young University (BYU). Follow us at @byucmr on Instagram or visit the BYU Compliant Mechanisms Research (CMR) website to learn more about compliant mechanisms.

Technical Information

For in-depth technical information, see the following publications:

Howell, L.L. and Midha, A., “A Method for the Design of Compliant Mechanisms with Small-Length Flexural Pivots,” Journal of Mechanical Design, Trans. ASME, Vol. 116, pp. 280-290, March 1994.

To learn more about compliant mechanisms in general, see the BYU Compliant Mechanisms Research (CMR) website or these books: Compliant Mechanisms, Handbook of Compliant Mechanisms
 

Intellectual Property

The downloadable 3D print files provided here may be used, modified, and enjoyed for noncommercial use. To license this technology for commercial applications, contact:

BYU Technology Transfer Office
3760 Harold B. Lee Library
Brigham Young University
Provo, UT 84602
Phone: (801) 422-6266
https://techtransfer.byu.edu/contact