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Sealing the Deal: Effects of Fabrication Parameters on the Performance of Textile Pneumatic Haptic Actuators

Megan C. Coram, Allison M. Okamura, Cosima du Pasquier

TL;DR

The study develops a parameterized fabrication workflow for textile pneumatic haptic actuators made from TPU-coated nylon and demonstrates how heat-press temperature, time, and pressure, along with inlet adhesive choice, affect bond strength and airtightness. Through peel tests and airtightness measurements, it identifies 260 °F, 90 s, and 5 MPa as optimal, with Gear Aid adhesive providing the most reliable seals. The resulting textile actuators achieve substantial wearability benefits, reducing thickness by 96.4% and mass by 57.2% while delivering roughly the same force as elastomeric counterparts (up to 36.1 N at 230 kPa abs) and exhibiting superior cycling stability. The work offers a practical benchmarking framework for fabricating textile pneumatic actuators and supports their integration into portable, low-profile wearable haptic devices.

Abstract

Textile pneumatic actuators can provide useful wearable haptic feedback when embedded in gloves, armbands, and other smart garments. Here we investigate actuators fabricated from thermoplastic coated textiles. We measure the effects of fabrication parameters on the robustness and airtightness of small, round pneumatic pouch actuators made from heat-sealed thermoplastic polyurethane-coated nylon. We determine the optimal temperature, time, and pressure for heat-pressing of the textile to create strong bonds and identify the most effective glue to create an airtight seal at the inlet. Compared to elastomeric pneumatic actuators, these textile pneumatic actuators reduce the thickness of the actuator by 96.4% and the mass by 57.2%, increasing their wearability while maintaining a strong force output. We evaluated the force output of the actuators, along with their performance over time. In a blocked force test, the maximum force transmission of the pneumatic textile actuators was 36.1N, which is 95.3% of the peak force output of an elastomeric pneumatic actuator with the same diameter and pressure. Cyclical testing showed that the textile actuators had more stable behavior over time. These results provide best practices for fabrication and indicate the feasibility of textile pneumatic actuators for future wearable applications.

Sealing the Deal: Effects of Fabrication Parameters on the Performance of Textile Pneumatic Haptic Actuators

TL;DR

The study develops a parameterized fabrication workflow for textile pneumatic haptic actuators made from TPU-coated nylon and demonstrates how heat-press temperature, time, and pressure, along with inlet adhesive choice, affect bond strength and airtightness. Through peel tests and airtightness measurements, it identifies 260 °F, 90 s, and 5 MPa as optimal, with Gear Aid adhesive providing the most reliable seals. The resulting textile actuators achieve substantial wearability benefits, reducing thickness by 96.4% and mass by 57.2% while delivering roughly the same force as elastomeric counterparts (up to 36.1 N at 230 kPa abs) and exhibiting superior cycling stability. The work offers a practical benchmarking framework for fabricating textile pneumatic actuators and supports their integration into portable, low-profile wearable haptic devices.

Abstract

Textile pneumatic actuators can provide useful wearable haptic feedback when embedded in gloves, armbands, and other smart garments. Here we investigate actuators fabricated from thermoplastic coated textiles. We measure the effects of fabrication parameters on the robustness and airtightness of small, round pneumatic pouch actuators made from heat-sealed thermoplastic polyurethane-coated nylon. We determine the optimal temperature, time, and pressure for heat-pressing of the textile to create strong bonds and identify the most effective glue to create an airtight seal at the inlet. Compared to elastomeric pneumatic actuators, these textile pneumatic actuators reduce the thickness of the actuator by 96.4% and the mass by 57.2%, increasing their wearability while maintaining a strong force output. We evaluated the force output of the actuators, along with their performance over time. In a blocked force test, the maximum force transmission of the pneumatic textile actuators was 36.1N, which is 95.3% of the peak force output of an elastomeric pneumatic actuator with the same diameter and pressure. Cyclical testing showed that the textile actuators had more stable behavior over time. These results provide best practices for fabrication and indicate the feasibility of textile pneumatic actuators for future wearable applications.

Paper Structure

This paper contains 9 sections, 5 figures, 2 tables.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Actuator Fabrication and Parameter Evaluation
  3. Fabrication
  4. Parameter Evaluation
  5. Results and Discussion
  6. Actuator Performance
  7. Methods
  8. Results
  9. Discussion and Conclusions

Figures (5)

  • Figure 1: A. Thermoplastic pouch pneumatic actuators in a vest Nunez2022AActuation. B. 3D-printed elastomeric pneumatic actuators in a sleeve duPasquier2023ASleeve. C. The textile pneumatic actuators tested in this paper, including an enlarged view of the 3D-printed inlet.
  • Figure 2: The textile pneumatic actuator fabrication process. A. the textile sheets and the aluminum molds. B. The heat press and its settings. C. The 3D-printed inlet and bonding adhesive.
  • Figure 3: Effects of varying the fabrication A. temperature, B. time, C. pressure, and D. adhesive on the peel strength and airtightness, with the nominal values of 260 °F, 90s, and 5MPa shown in black and the critical displacement points circled.
  • Figure 4: A. Force testing setup, B. measured force at pressure peaks, and C. cyclical force testing results.
  • Figure 5: Modular textile actuators integrated into a portable vest for haptic feedback on the torso.