How to Make a Hydraulic Arm? Guide
Hydraulics is an area of physics that studies the mechanical properties of fluids, these properties will depend on the relationship between the mass and the force applied to the fluids, as well as their viscosityallowing them to move heavy loads and in the case of hydraulic arms, this technology enables them to lift, launch, move, etc. any object.
Making a hydraulic arm is not as complicated as it seemsin fact in this article we will teach you everything you need to know to make them with your own hands, besides being an excellent science project to practice at home, so don’t wait any longer and let’s get started.
How to Make a Hydraulic Arm?
Hydraulic systems have been used for many years as an industrial automation system, despite the passage of time and the advancement of technology, current robotic arms follow this same principletherefore in this section you will find all the steps you must follow and the materials to make a hydraulic arm.
Step 1.- Materials to use
- 1 injector of 10 cc and 5 cc
- Rubber or acrylic tubing (for intravenous treatment)
- Two pieces of wood in the form of slats
- hinges
- Water
Step 2.- Fill the injectors with water
Completely fill the 5 cc injector, to prevent air from entering we recommend you do it underwater; later repeat this procedure with the 10 cc injector, but only fill up to 3 cc.
Step 3.- Fill and connect the hose to the injectors
Fill the hose with water following this same procedure, the most recommended thing is that you can submerge it in a deep container full of water; you connect the nozzles of the 2 injectors to the hose, make sure they fit very well.
Step 4.- Reinforce the hose-injector connection
Dry the entire system very carefully and to avoid any entry of air, reinforce the union of the nozzles of the injectors using instant glue.
Step 5.- Assemble the structure of the hydraulic arm
Now start to assemble the arm of the hydraulic systemto do this place the two wooden strips in such a way that they simulate a seven, then join their ends using the hinges, in this way you can go up and down.
Step 6.- Fix the hydraulic system to the arm
Fix the hydraulic system made with the injection machines on the wooden arm that you just builtfor this use instant glue or tape.
Step 7.- Place the injectors on the upper and lower part of the arm
Place the 10 cc injector on the wooden strip that is going to move, leaning on its plunger; the 5 cc injector should be placed in the lower part of the arm.
Step 8.- Test that the hydraulic arm works and that’s it!
To test if it works, push the plunger of the 5 cc injector and you will see how the hydraulic arm rises thanks to the force, which causes the plunger of the 10 cc syringe to move. yesIf the tests are successful, your hydraulic arm will be ready to be used..
How to Make a Hydraulic Arm with Syringes and Hoses?
This experiment is very interesting to observe the incomprehensibility of water, through the force exerted by the syringes managing to move the handso that you can better understand how it works, I will tell you all about the procedure you must follow and the materials you need.
Step 1.- Necessary materials
- Cardboard and cardboard boxes
- elastic bands
- Liquid silicone
- Glue stick
- 5 syringes of 5cc
- 5 syringes of 3cc
- 1.5 meters of plastic hose (such as those used for intravenous treatments)
- Pencil, markers, ruler and scissors
- Painting
- artificial colors and water
Step 2.- Cut the mold of your hand in cardboard
Draw the outline of one of your hands on the cardboard, then cut out each part of it and paste on the box cardboardonce it dries cut the mold again.
Step 3.- Fold the creases of the fingers of the mold
Fold the fingers of the mold simulating the folds that they have in your handalso add those that are made by hand.
Step 4.- Secure the folds with tape
Put them together and use masking tape to hold them together, perform this process with each of the folds of the fingers.
Step 5.- An elastic band for each finger
Place a rubber band on the inside of each finger and then fix it on top of it, using masking tape, check that the rubber does not come loose by applying pressure.
Step 6.- Stick your fingers and cut the hose
Now with liquid silicone stick each finger to the back of the hand and when you are done cut the hose into 5 pieces of 30 cm.
Step 7.- Fill the 5cc syringes
Fill the 5cc syringes with watertry not to get air and for this it is advisable to fill it by submerging the syringes.
Step 8.- Attach these syringes to the cut hose
Tape the hoses to the 5cc syringes, one by one, for this, place liquid silicone on the tip of the syringe, making sure that it does not cover the entry hole.
Step 9.- Repeat the process with the 3cc syringes
Repeat this step and the previous one, with the 3 cc syringes joining them to the other end of the 5 hoses.
Step 10.- Attach the syringes to the hand
Insert the 3 cc syringes into each of the fingers, the 5 cc syringes will be fixed on the back of the hand. Cuts masking tape and reinforces so hoses and syringes hold better.
Step 11.- Tighten the elastic bands with the syringes
Cut the elastic bands that are on the fingers, then tighten them to make a knot and insert them into the holding wings of the syringes.
Step 12.- Do the test to verify that the hydraulic hand works
To check that it works, apply force (like injecting) to the 5cc syringes and observe how the pressure makes the fingers move from the position they had, and ready your hydraulic hand with hoses can be used.
How to Make a Hydraulic Arm for Doors?
Hydraulic door arms are also known as door closers, these devices are very useful, so that the doors are always closed even if the handle is damagedso in this section we will teach you how to make them and the materials you need for it.
Step 1.- Materials to use
- 2 pieces of wood 1 meter long
- 1.5 meters of steel wire
- 3 lag screws or nails
- 6 staples or use bent nails
- 1 screw with a large nut that covers the width of the 2 pieces of wood
- 2 washers
- hammer and saw
- hammer drill
- 1 brush
- 1 sandpaper
- 2 fine tubes
- 1 clamp
Step 2.- Sand the wood to make it smooth
Plan and sand the two pieces of wood until smooth, try to use a wood that is not so hard so that it yields to pressure and does not break.
Step 3.- Cut the wood and make the spring
Cut an opening right in the middle of the wide side of both boards.. Then make the spring with the wire, it must be flexible and resistant; Drive two pipes into the ground well apart from each other.
Step 4.- Wind the wire to the tubes for the spring
Bend a piece of wire and insert it into one of the tubes, then start wrapping it around the second leaving no gap between turns.
Step 5.- The spring must be smaller than the opening in the wood
The length of the spring should be one centimeter smaller than the height of the hole you made in the wood.For example, if it is 10 cm, the length of the spring must be 9 cm.
Step 6.- Leave a surplus on both sides and make another hole in the wood
The spring must have a surplus of at least 14 cm on both sidesthen find the center of the opening in the wood and make a 1.5 cm hole in it.
Step 7.- Place the spring in the opening of a piece of wood
Locate the spring in the opening of one of the woods, then bend one of its ends and place them along it, to fix use staples or bent nails.
Step 8.- Place the second opening of the wood on top of the first
Place the other piece of wood on top of the first, so that they meet in the openings you made in both, staying on top of the spring, then the other end of this one place it along the second wood and join it with staples.
Step 9.- Fix one of the pieces of wood to the wall
Fix one of the pieces of wood to the wall of the door, For this you can use nails or lag screws.
Step 10.- Place a screw in the smallest hole in the wood
Insert a screw into the 1.5 cm hole you made in one of the openings in the wood and put a washer on each end of it; place a nut at the beginning of the rock so that the two pieces of wood are fastened next to the pier.
Step 11.- Pass a few coats of varnish and it will be finished
Finally, protect the end that will be touching the door with paint, varnish or another material. this to extend its useful life, in this way the hydraulic arm for doors will be finished.
How to Make a Robotic Arm out of Cardboard? With Hydraulic Operation
Making a robotic arm can become a science project and also a very fun idea to entertain yourself at home because you can play with it, take anything and then drop it, throw it, among others; For this reason, in this section we will tell you everything to make a robotic arm with hydraulic operation.
Step 1.- Necessary materials
- box carton
- wooden chopsticks
- Ice cream stick
- instant glue
- 10cc syringes
- plastic hose
- Water and different colored dyes
- Cutter, scissors, tweezers, ruler and pencil
- Firing pin
Step 2.- Cut some pieces of cardboard
Start by measuring 4 rectangles of 4cmx30cm on the cardboard, cut them and join them one on top of the other.
Step 3.- Make holes in the ends of the cardboard
With the hammer, make a hole in the ends of the cardboard, trying to make it go through completely.At the end you should have 4 rectangular and perforated cardboard pieces.
Step 4.- If you downloaded a web template, finish the templates
Finish the rest of the molds consisting of two squares of the same size and the walls of the structure (in the case of this you must download the mold on the web).
Step 5.- Join two cardboard strips and insert two syringes
Take two of the cardboard strips and put two wooden sticks through them through the holes you made earlier, then insert two syringes into the sides of it, and seal the sticks to the cardboard, putting instant glue around them.
Step 6.- Fix the rest of the slats to the first two
The other two slats must be attached to the firstjoin them at one of their ends, likewise on the other side and then fix with instant glue.
Step 7.- Join the walls of the hydraulic arm
Then from the other end, join the walls of the base of the robotic arm following these same steps.
Step 8.- Finish the arm structure
Finish assembling the structure of the robotic arm, reinforcing with chopsticks and instant glue.
Step 9.- Attach the arm to one of the bases and test if it moves
Glue the entire structure vertically to one of the previously cut cardboard bases and also test if the system moves smoothly, for this you can move the robotic arm with your hands.
Step 10.- Open a hole in one of the syringes
Take one of the syringes and make a hole with the drill bit in the middle of it, then join two adjustable plastic handles, tighten the first one at the base of the syringe nozzle and on the other side leave a small ring that we will use later.
Step 11.- Fix the syringe to the cardboard with a toothpick
Cut the excess of the handles with the scissors, now place the syringe in the middle of the arm of the structure, mark the points where it will be held, and with a toothpick go through the cardboardthe hole we made in the syringe, until we reach the other side.
Step 12.- Fix with another toothpick from the other end
From the other end, go through the cardboard with a stick, passing through the ring you left near the syringe nozzle and coming out just the other side.
Step 13.- Draw the hand of the robotic arm
Draw the hand of the arm, for this you can look for a model on the internet or make it in the shape of a U.
Step 14.- Assemble the hand and attach it to the robotic arm
Then cut out all the pieces on the cardboard and start assembling the hand, remember that for this you must use the chopsticks and the instant glue. Place the robotic hand on the cardboard and fix it using the sticks and instant glue.
Step 15.- Go back to step 9
Repeat step 9, Cut the excess of the handle as well as the circle where you press to inject.
Step 16.- Fix the syringe on the other side of the arm
place this syringe on the other side of the structure, fix them with toothpicks and glue.
Step 17.- Attach the stack to a cardboard base
Cut two 30×30 cm cardboard squares and glue one on top of the otherthen go through them right in the center with the hammer, take the damaged battery and place it in the middle of the hole you just made, fix it with glue.
Step 18.- Use the stack to hold another base
Cut three 5×5 cm squares and glue one on top of the other, then place them in the middle of the base of the arm, Open a hole with the drill bit and then insert this structure into the pile to hold it up.
Step 19.- Make the levers that will control the arm
On this base towards one of its sides add another syringe and attach it to a lever that you will make with the ice cream popsicles.
Step 20.- Fill 4 syringes with water of different colors
Prepare the water with dyes in different containers, there must be four in total, then fill the syringes with this water and for this you must submerge it avoiding that they fill with air.
Step 21.- Connect the syringes to the plastic hoses
Connect the nozzles of the syringes with water on one of the ends of the plastic hose.
Step 22.- Make the structure that will hold the syringes
Make the structure that will hold these syringes with cardboard, ice cream popsicles and instant glueOnce finished, fix the colored syringes on the structure.
Step 23.- Connect the hoses to the robotic arm
Connect the free end of the hoses to the syringes on the robotic arm.
Step 24.- Test that the robotic arm works
once you finish, you can try the arm and lift some object; observe how the colored water emits the energy that is needed to move the arm in the direction you want, then your robotic arm is ready.
What is the Operation of a Hydraulic Arm? How the robotic arm works with hydraulics
A hydraulic arm is made up of three parts inspired by the functioning of a human armwe can say that it is divided into hand, arm and forearm joined by the wrist and elbow joints, they can move independently of each other and this is thanks to the way they are designed and the hydraulic force.
The system that makes a hydraulic arm move is made up of a series of syringes and hoses connected to its entire structure.that thanks to the increase or resignation of the pressure there is force caused by a liquid and a gaseous component.
You can control the movements of the arm, through of some levers located at its base and that allow it to move; this is also called flow compensated system and currently this technology is used in industrial environments on a larger scale, that is, the principle is the same, however these applications are much more complex.
It is used in areas such as construction, cargo transportation, and in simulations for study the functioning of the human bodyamong other.
In this way we come to the end, we hope that this information about robotic arms will help you to make your own; We want to thank you for reading us this far and we want to invite you once again to continue enjoying all the content that we prepare especially for you in future publications. Visit us!
