Development of a Robotic Additive Manufacturing Framework for Fused Deposition Modeling: Technical Considerations

Abstract

Additive manufacturing, commonly referred to as 3D printing, is a rapidly growing technology that allows for the creation of three-dimensional parts in a fraction of the time required by traditional methods.Conventional 3D printers use either cartesian or delta mechanisms, which are reliable but limited in movement due to the fixed orientation of the tool head.Researchers have been working on using robotic manipulators to create new 3D printing techniques.To accomplish this, they first need to establish a robotic framework for basic 3D printing.This technical brief explains the steps for the implementation of a robotic manipulator for fused deposition modelling (FDM).The proposed approach can help other researchers develop their own robotic 3D printing framework.While many other alternatives can be utilized, the proposed methodology is not intended to be unique or optimized.However, it provides important technical details that can help to expedite the process of establishing new research projects in this field.Additionally, this brief introduces the concept of the "printability index", which can be used to create a map for positioning the build platform in the robot's workspace.