The tube adapter is a part that can be attached to existing molds in order to provide an air tight sleeve. It is designed by XYZAidan.

The fabrication process is described in on the Thingiverse page. The page also includes a script that allows you to customize the adapter to your mold.

The molds are also available for download on Thingiverse.

We have made several variations to the adapter to fit our own molds:

• One
• Two
• Three

• TBD

• Ecoflex 30: ~15min
• Dragonskin 30: ~30min

The adapter is of course the inlet in itself, once it is attached to another actuator.

From the thingiverse guide:

Once it has cured, pull the now-attached adapter and soft robot out of the mold.
Push a screwdriver through the sleeve of the adapter to clear any blockages.
Then insert the tubing through the sleeve and into the soft robot.
Use a zip-tie and tightly secure it around the sleeve and tube.

Unfortunately, we've had quite severe leakage from the adapter, mostly around the stiching point. It is possible that we didn't glue correctly or should have used more silicone. Eventually we opted on crating our own hole in the actuator.