Kwawu 2.0 flexed fist Utility Arm phalanxes

thingiverse

This is a remix of the phalanxes from the original Kwawu 2.0 upgraded arm, designed to eliminate the need for elbow flexion when holding objects. The modification was created to allow users to hold various items such as drinks, spoons, brooms or fly swatters at any angle without having to adjust their grip. We call this design the "Utility Arm." To utilize these STL files, remove the "Flexed" part from the names and drop them into your Kwawu 2.0 Files folder after removing the default phalanxes. These files were created in Fusion 360 using the original files as a reference, ensuring identical scale and OpenSCAD characteristics for proper scaling. The original Kwawu arm employs hinges made from shore hardness 82-85 TPU. In contrast, the Utility Arm benefits from hinges constructed with shore hardness 95 TPU for enhanced grip performance. Set "GripLatch" to no and refrain from printing latchpin, latchteeth, latchslider, tensioner or whipple tree parts since this arm is not strung, relying on tightly flexed fingers instead. When printing fingers and phalanxes, CURA's experimental Tree Support setting (branch angle 40, branch distance 4, branch diameter 2) often yields the best results for supporting complex geometries. As for material selection, I prefer PETG due to its ease of printing, similar to PLA, and temperature resistance close to ABS without the unpleasant odor. Feel free to choose your preferred material.