Developing an Affordable Miniature 3D-Printed Wave Generator for Wave Energy Harvesting Application

The development of low-frequency and low-amplitude wave energy harvesters has been limited by the lack of an affordable scientific evaluation platform, due to the high cost and land requirements of ground-based water channels. A 3D-printed modular wave generator, combined with the commercially available laboratory-sized wave channel, is proposed to address this. A stepper motor and an Arduino are employed as the driving source and controller. This system utilises motor parameters, such as rotational speed and number of travelled steps, to accurately control generated wave frequency and amplitude. By minimising costs and enhancing sustainability through 3D printing technology, only minor modifications are needed to adapt it to different water tank dimensions. The system can generate stable waves with frequencies from 1 Hz to 2 Hz and amplitudes from 1.5 cm to 7.1 cm under the current setting. The generated wave frequency and amplitude can be further customised by selecting faster stepper motors, as demonstrated in this study.