Arm Opening Mechanism

Iron Man Suit Hand Armour

This page is about the arm mechanism for the suit, check out the main project index for the rest.

This page is an explanation of how I’m building the arm mechanism. I will update it as I go.

Here’s some YouTube videos about process so far, or scroll down for the written version with pictures

I decided that the arms should be self supporting, rather than being attached to the rest of the armour at the shoulders – this means they will need a method of gripping the wearer’s arms. I also decided that the arms should open and close like they do in the suiting up sequence in the movie, there is more of an explanation of this in the video above.

So I went about cutting one forearm in half and designing a prototype piece using Autodesk123D which was 3D printed. The alignment looks ok although a few small changes are required:

The second prototype has some extra springs, and end stop, and a latching mechanism. You can see more information about this in the videos above:

Here’s a test fit inside the armour section. The final versions will be printed in Silver ABS plastic, the latches are linked so they can be activated by a button from under the forearm. You can download the STL files from my download page.

Some preliminary pictures of the mechanism fitted in the forearm:

A few pictures of the hinge/extension parts for the biceps:

All the parts assembled for one arm, I’ve glued some foam inside so the forearm piece holds itself in place on the wearer when it’s shut. Check out the videos above to see me wearing both arms.