Soft actuators have emerged as a promising solution for applications that conventional actuators are unable to address. Soft pneumatic actuators (SPAs) are widely used among various types of soft actuators due to their good performance and ease of use. However, the control of SPA movement poses challenges due to limited knowledge regarding their behaviours and characteristics, which are significantly influenced by the design. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impact of three design parameters commonly modified during SPA design: chamber length, number, and wall thickness. Specifically, we examine their effects on the curvature and tip force generated by 3D printed SPAs. In this experimental study, we printed 21 SPAs using fused deposition modelling (FDM) 3D printing technology, employing varying chamber lengths, numbers, and wall thicknesses. The SPAs were then inflated with pressurized air, and the resulting outcomes were measured and analysed. Our findings reveal that increasing the chamber length leads to a reduction in the generated tip force, while also having a minor effect on reducing the curvature. Conversely, the addition of chambers enhances the curvature of the SPA, and diminishes the generated tip force, likely due to the presence of buckling chambers in the mid-body of the SPA. Notably, modifying the wall thickness of the chamber significantly affects the curvature, exerting a larger impact compared to the number of chambers. However, wall thickness does not significantly influence the generated tip force. These findings provide valuable insights for engineers to better comprehend the parameters affecting SPA characteristics, thereby reducing prototyping time and cost.

软执行器已成为传统执行器无法解决的应用的一种有前景的解决方案。软式气动执行器（SPA）因其良好的性能和易用性而在各类软式执行器中得到广泛应用。然而，由于对 SPA 行为和特征的了解有限，SPA 运动的控制面临着挑战，而这些行为和特征受到设计的显着影响。因此，本研究旨在研究 SPA 设计过程中经常修改的三个设计参数的影响：腔室长度、数量和壁厚。具体来说，我们检查了它们对 3D 打印 SPA 产生的曲率和尖端力的影响。在这项实验研究中，我们使用熔融沉积建模 (FDM) 3D 打印技术打印了 21 个 SPA，采用不同的腔室长度、数量、和壁厚。然后用压缩空气对 SPA 进行充气，并对所得结果进行测量和分析。我们的研究结果表明，增加腔室长度会导致产生的尖端力减小，同时对减小曲率也有较小的影响。相反，添加腔室会增强 SPA 的曲率，并减小产生的尖端力，这可能是由于 SPA 中部存在屈曲腔室。值得注意的是，改变腔室的壁厚会显着影响曲率，与腔室的数量相比，产生的影响更大。然而，壁厚不会显着影响所产生的尖端力。这些发现为工程师更好地理解影响 SPA 特性的参数提供了宝贵的见解，