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28th International Conference on Flexible Automation and Intelligent Manufacturing
28th International ConferenceJune
(FAIM2018), on Flexible Automation
11-14, 2018, and OH,
Columbus, Intelligent
USA Manufacturing
(FAIM2018), June 11-14, 2018, Columbus, OH, USA
On the development of a robot-operated 3D-printer
On the
Manufacturing development
Engineering of a robot-operated
Society International Conference 2017, 3D-printer
MESIC 2017, 28-30 June
Andi Dine , George-Christopher Vosniakosa *
a
2017, Vigo (Pontevedra), Spain
a
Andi Dinea, George-Christopher Vosniakosa *
Costing models forofcapacity
Athens, School of optimization in Industry 4.0: Trade-off
National Technical Univerity of Athens, School of Mechanical Engineering, Heroon Polytehneiou 9, 15780 Athens, Greece
a
National Technical Univerity Mechanical Engineering, Heroon Polytehneiou 9, 15780 Athens, Greece

Abstract between used capacity and operational efficiency

Abstract
A prototype Fused DepositionA. Santana
Modelling a
(FDM), P.head
Afonso , A. Zaninb, anR.industrial
a,* on, attached to
is reported Wernke b in this case 6-axis arm with
robot,
A prototype
high Fused Deposition
repeatability, Modelling
to form a robotic 3D (FDM)
printer. head
The is reported
detailed on, attached
design to an including
is presented industrial robot, in thiscalculations
theoretical case 6-axisregarding
arm with
high repeatability,
pressure drop in the to nozzle.
form a Selection
robotic 3Dof
a printer. The detailed design is presented including theoretical calculations regarding
the off-the-shelf
University electronicGuimarães,
of Minho, 4800-058 components and their inter-connection are also covered
Portugal
pressure drop the
together with in the nozzle. Selection
implementation of the
for synchronizing
b
the robot
off-the-shelf
Unochapecó, and the
electronic
89809-000 head’s
Chapecó, extruder.
components
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their inter-connection are alsopaths, for
covered
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being, implementation for synchronizing
to teaching the robot
the pertinent points androbot
to the the head’s extruder.
via the pendant,Programming of theand
to form a layer 3Drepeating
printer paths, for
through
the time being,
programming pertainstotoform
structures teaching the pertinent
the complete object.points to theofrobot
A number viashell
printed the artefacts
pendant, are
to presented
form a layerwithand repeating
accuracy through
assessment,
programming
which structures
was deemed toacceptable.
totally form the complete object. A number of printed shell artefacts are presented with accuracy assessment,
Abstract
which was deemed totally acceptable.
© 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
© 2018
© 2018
Under
This The
the
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is an Authors.
accessPublished
concept
Authors.
open Published
article by
by Elsevier
of "Industry
under the4.0",
Elsevier B.V.
productionlicense
B.V.
CC BY-NC-ND processes will be pushed to be increasingly interconnected,
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
This is an open
information access
based onarticle
a real under
time the CC BY-NC-ND
basis and, licensemuch
necessarily, (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/)
more efficient. In this
This is an open access article under
Peer-review under responsibility of the CC BY-NC-ND license andcontext, capacity
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
scientific committee of the 28th Flexible Automation Intelligent optimization
Manufacturing
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 28th Flexible Automation and Intelligent Manufacturing
goes beyond
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(FAIM2018) the
under traditional
responsibility
Conference.
(FAIM2018) Conference. aimofof capacity
the scientificmaximization,
committee of contributing
the 28th Flexiblealso for organization’s
Automation and profitability
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(FAIM2018) leanConference.
management and continuous improvement approaches suggest capacity optimization instead of
Keywords: Fused Deposition;
maximization. The studyIndustrial Robot; optimization
of capacity 3D Printer; Multi-plane printingmodels is an important research topic that deserves
and costing
Keywords: Fusedfrom
contributions Deposition;
both Industrial Robot;and
the practical 3D Printer; Multi-plane
theoretical printing This paper presents and discusses a mathematical
perspectives.
model for capacity management based on different costing models (ABC and TDABC). A generic model has been
1. Introduction
developed and it was used to analyze idle capacity and to design strategies towards the maximization of organization’s
1. Introduction
value. The trade-off capacity maximization vs operational efficiency is highlighted and it is shown that capacity
The mostmight
optimization widespread additive inefficiency.
hide operational manufacturing method is Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) due to its
The most widespread additive manufacturing method is Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) due to its
© 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. movement [1]. A filament is forced through a heated extrusion head,
inexpensive platform and the open-source
inexpensive
including a platform
liquefier and
part the
and open-source
a final nozzle,
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific movement
so that itof[1].
committee can A
be filament
depositedisEngineering
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can and
be deposited in liquid form
this is subsequently along
repeated to planned trajectories.
form an object.
Deposited tracks of material quickly solidify to form a layer and this is subsequently repeated to form an object.
Keywords: Cost Models; ABC; TDABC; Capacity Management; Idle Capacity; Operational Efficiency

1.Corresponding
*
Introduction author. Tel.: +30 210 7721457; fax: +30 210 7724273, e-mail address: vosniak@central.ntua.gr
*
Corresponding author. Tel.: +30 210 7721457; fax: +30 210 7724273, e-mail address: vosniak@central.ntua.gr
2351-9789
The cost© 2018 Thecapacity
of idle Authors. Published by Elsevier information
is a fundamental B.V. for companies and their management of extreme importance
This is an open
2351-9789 access
© 2018 Thearticle under
Authors. the CC BY-NC-ND
Published license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
by Elsevier B.V.
in modern
Peer-review
production
under
systems.
responsibility
In general,
of the scientific
it is defined
committee of the
as unused capacity or production potential and can be measured
28th Flexible Automation and Intelligent Manufacturing (FAIM2018)
This is an open access article under CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
in
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 28th Flexible Automationetc.
several
Conference. ways: tons of production, available hours of manufacturing, and The management
Intelligent of (FAIM2018)
Manufacturing the idle capacity
* Paulo Afonso.
Conference. Tel.: +351 253 510 761; fax: +351 253 604 741
E-mail address: psafonso@dps.uminho.pt

2351-9789
2351-9789 ©©2017
2018The
TheAuthors.
Authors. Published by Elsevier
Published B.V. B.V.
by Elsevier
Peer-review underaccess
This is an open responsibility of the scientific
article under committee oflicense
the CC BY-NC-ND the Manufacturing Engineering Society International Conference 2017.
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/)
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 28th Flexible Automation and Intelligent Manufacturing
(FAIM2018) Conference.
10.1016/j.promfg.2018.10.004
 Andi Dine et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 17 (2018) 6–13 7
2 Dine, Vosniakos/ Procedia Manufacturing 00 (2018) 000–000

Conventional 3D printers utilize a gantry for continuously moving the nozzle on a horizontal plane, whilst
vertical movement is intermittent a few times per plane (2-1/2 axis interpolation). There is the obvious advantage of
simplicity in computer numerical control on a horizontal plane, but there are also drawbacks compared to multiplane
3D printing. These mainly concern a need of support material for overhung structures and pertinent post-processing
for their removal, some reduction in strength and restriction in attainable complexity and limitations in
accomplishing embedded 3D printing [2], [3].
The concept of multiplane 3D printing via a robot is undergoing intense development [4]. For instance, a machine
combining multiplane additive, formative and subtractive processes in one robotic platform with an end effector
interchange depending on the particular mode is presented in [5]. Major 3D printing and automation companies
presented the Robotic Composite 3D Demonstrator with 8 axes, with an ability to print across fused layers in order
to increase the strength of the printed part [6]. A hybrid 5-axis cnc machine involving 3D printing and subsequent
milling for improved dimensional accuracy has been developed by Lee et al. [3], capable of multiplane 3D printing
due to its rotational building platform. A commonly used FDM extruder has been integrated with a 6-axis robotic
arm demonstrating printing in horizontal and vertical plane [2]. Another similar development utilised the screw
extrusion method, whilst the motion of the robot was calculated by projecting a desired 2D image in 3D space [7]. A
large-scale additive manufacturing system with a 6-axis cable-suspended robot exhibited a wide range of motion in
addition to being transportable and reconfigurable [8].
This paper reports on development of a 6-axis robotic 3D printer as a proof-of-concept prototype. Its design and
control are presented in Section 2 and 3, respectively, its programming is briefly outlined in Section 4, examples of
3D printed parts are given in Section 5 and conclusions are summarized in Section 6.

2. Mechanical Design

The robot used was a Stäubli RX90L. It is a six axis industrial robot with payload of 4 kg at maximum speed and
6 kg at reduced speed, maximum operation speed of 12.6 m/sec, maximum reach of 1100 mm and repeatability at ±
0.025 mm. The 3D printing system mounted as an end effector on the robot should weigh less than 3.5 kg. Most of
the parts of the 3D printer were designed parametrically in SolidWorks TM software and manufactured from Al alloy
2000 series on HAASTM TM-1 and TL-1 CNC milling and turning machines, respectively, according to G-code
generated on SolidCAMTM software.

2.1. Extrusion system

A three-tier frame was designed for accommodating electronics, extrusion system mechanism and 3D printing
heads, see Fig. 1.

Fig. 1 The 3D printing mechanism (a) as designed (b) manufactured and partly assembled second tier (c) control tier
8 Andi Dine et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 17 (2018) 6–13
Dine, Vosniakos / Procedia Manufacturing 00 (2018) 000–000 3

The bottom tier is flanged for attachment to the robot. The printer is designed so as to enable use of two
materials, normally the building material, e.g. PLA/ABS, and the support material. The extrusion mechanism is
located on the second tier, see Fig. 1(b). Its purpose is to push the filament to overcome the pressure drop in the
nozzle. It mainly consists of a driving roll supported by bearings, which is driven by a ΝΕΜΑ 17 stepper motor.
There are also two pressure rolls that push the two filaments against the driving roll. These consist of a grooved
wheel and knurled counter-surface to eliminate slippage. The user can choose which pressure roll will be activated
by tightening the respective screws. The maximum torque of the motor is 1.765 Nm hence the maximum extrusion
force is 353 N.
The two 3D printer heads are located on the third tier, see Fig. 1(a). The printer head consists of the liquefier, the
nozzle and temperature controlling devices, typically fins. An off-the-shelf E4D J-Head ExtruderTM with nozzle
diameter 0.4 mm, appropriate for 1.75 mm filament of various materials (ABS, PLA, wood, PVC, etc.) was selected.
The filament reel holder is located on the third link of the robotic arm, to provide a filament path as straight as
possible and to eliminate the possibilities of filament messing in case of complicated motion.
The theoretical height of the printed parts can be calculated as: Height (mm)=First layer height+(Number of
Layers-1)*(Bead diameter-Overlap), where ‘overlap’ is the intentional decrease in original distance between
successive layers to reduce inter-bead voids. For example, if the diameter of each bead were 0.4 mm and the overlap
0.1 mm, then the displacement from the previous layer to the next would be 0.3 mm, see Fig. 2(a).

a b

Fig. 2 (a) Example of overlap between successive layers on a slightly inclined printing surface (b) Sections of the liquefier

2.2. Pressure drop estimation

The pressure drop in the nozzle and hence the required force for extrusion is essential to know in regulating the
flow rate.
Key assumptions in this calculation include incompressibility of the melt, a no-slip boundary condition at the
wall of the liquefier and a fully developed, steady state and laminar flow. Then, pressure drop can be predicted by
momentum balance equations in conjunction with a power-law viscosity model with Arrhenius temperature
dependence [9]. This model was applied for extrusion dies of cylindrical and conical shape corresponding to
sections I, II and III of the liquefier, see Fig. 2(b).
The power-law model reflects the assumption that feedstock (ABS, PLA) is typically shear thinning [10–13],

𝜂𝜂 = 𝛫𝛫 ∗ 𝛾𝛾̇ 𝑛𝑛−1 (1)

where η (Pa·s) is the viscosity, 𝛾𝛾̇ (1/s) is the shear rate. The power-law fit parameters are 𝛫𝛫 ,the consistency index
(Pa·sn) and 𝑛𝑛, the flow index. This model is mathematically simple but neglects yield stress, which is characteristic
of many polymer melts [14]. Viscosity dependence on temperature is significant for non-isothermal material flow
through the liquefier. Thus, viscosity is separated into the temperature-dependent and shear rate-dependent terms
[10]:

𝜂𝜂 = 𝛨𝛨(𝛵𝛵)𝜂𝜂 𝛵𝛵0 (𝛾𝛾̇ ) (2)

 Andi Dine et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 17 (2018) 6–13 9
4 Dine, Vosniakos/ Procedia Manufacturing 00 (2018) 000–000

The shear rate-dependent term is simply the power-law model in which the fit parameters have been calculated at
some reference temperature, 𝑇𝑇0 .The temperature-dependent term is described by Arrhenius expression: 𝐻𝐻(𝑇𝑇) =
exp⁡[𝑎𝑎(1⁄𝑇𝑇 − 1⁄𝑇𝑇0 )], where α (Κ) is the activation energy [10,15]. Note that H(T) is 1 at the reference temperature,
𝑇𝑇0 .
The pressure drops (Pa) in each section of the liquefier according to this model are given respectively by [14]:
1 1
𝑉𝑉 𝑚𝑚 𝑚𝑚+3 𝑚𝑚 1 1
𝛥𝛥𝛥𝛥1 = 2𝐿𝐿1 ( 1 ) ( ) 𝑒𝑒𝑥𝑥𝑝𝑝⁡[𝑎𝑎(𝑇𝑇 − 𝑇𝑇 )] (3)
𝜑𝜑 (𝐷𝐷1 /2)𝑚𝑚+1 0

1
2𝑚𝑚 1 1 𝐷𝐷1 2 𝑚𝑚 1 1
𝛥𝛥𝛥𝛥2 = ( 𝛽𝛽 )( 3 − 3 ) (( 2 ) (𝑚𝑚 + 3)2 𝑚𝑚+3
) 𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒⁡[𝑎𝑎(𝑇𝑇 − 𝑇𝑇 )] (4)
3 𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡𝑡( ) 𝐷𝐷3 𝑚𝑚 𝐷𝐷1 𝑚𝑚 0
2

1 1
𝑉𝑉3 𝑚𝑚 (𝑚𝑚+3)(𝐷𝐷1 /2)2 𝑚𝑚 1 1
𝛥𝛥𝛥𝛥3 = 2𝐿𝐿3 ( ) ( ) 𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒⁡[𝑎𝑎(𝑇𝑇 − 𝑇𝑇 )] (5)
𝜑𝜑 (𝐷𝐷3 /2)𝑚𝑚+3 0

where the dimensions 𝐿𝐿1 (m), 𝐿𝐿3 (m), 𝐷𝐷1 (m) and 𝐷𝐷3 (m) correspond to Fig. 2(b), 𝛽𝛽 is the nozzle angle of the conical
section of the liquefier, and m and φ are power-law fit parameters [9,10,12]. Hence, the total pressure drop in the
liquefier is the sum of the pressure drop in each section: 𝛥𝛥𝛥𝛥 = 𝛥𝛥𝛥𝛥1 + 𝛥𝛥𝛥𝛥2 + 𝛥𝛥𝛥𝛥3
According to rheological experiments of PLA at temperatures 180 ⁰C, 190 ⁰C and 200 ⁰C, it is possible to
determine the power law fit parameters. The parameters of power-law can be obtained from shear stress versus shear
rate plots implementing curve fitting with high correlation coefficients over 0.996 [16].

Table 1 Values of flow index (n), consistency index (K) and correlation coefficient (𝑅𝑅 2 ) [16]

Temperature (oC) 180 190 200

𝑛𝑛 0.75 0.77 0.81
𝑛𝑛
𝐾𝐾⁡⁡[𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃 ∗ 𝑠𝑠 ] 4990 3100 2140
𝑅𝑅 2 0.996 0.998 0.998

The activation energy (α) can be calculated by dividing the flow activation energy-𝛥𝛥𝛥𝛥𝜂𝜂 (J/mol) with the gas
constant-R (8.3144 J/mol∙K). It is known that the flow activation temperature is dependent on shear rate but the
latter is changing during the flow in the liquefier. More precisely, the shear rate is expected to be very high (200
𝑠𝑠 −1 ) as the melts passes through the print nozzle while low shear rate is expected near the liquefier entrance [17].
So, the flow activation energy 𝛥𝛥𝛦𝛦𝜂𝜂 of PLA was calculated for two different shear rates, 40 and 200 𝑠𝑠 −1 , based on
the slopes of the plots of the true viscosity against the reciprocal of temperature (1/T) [16], as: 66.89 and 36.07
(KJ/mol) respectively.
Pressure drop calculation according to equations (3-5) has been implemented in Matlab for different operation
temperatures and nozzle diameters. The required force for overcoming the loss can be calculated by summing up the
multiplication of the pressure drop of each section of the liquefier by the corresponding surface area, For the nozzle
employed (0.4 mm diameter) the force required is 10.8 N at 180 oC dropping to 7.9 N at 190 oC and 7.5 N at 200 oC.
Indicatively, for a nozzle of 0.3 mm diameter, the force required is 26.3 N at 180 oC dropping to 19.3 N at 190 oC
and 20.1 N at 200 oC.

3. Control

A personal computer (PC) was adopted as the supervisory controller, interfacing both with the robot controller
and with the controller of the extruder board. The printing process can be started, stopped and interrupted by the
supervisory controller.
10 Andi Dine et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 17 (2018) 6–13
Dine, Vosniakos / Procedia Manufacturing 00 (2018) 000–000 5

An ArduinoTM Mega2560 microcontroller with RAMPSTM 1.4 was used for controlling the extruder. The board
was flashed with the MarlinTM Firmware that manages all the real-time activities of the machine. The control
language for MarlinTM is a derivative of G-code, but in this case no motion control of the axes was involved, since
motion is taken care of at the robot controller level. Initially, the MarlinTM firmware was modified to operate only
the stepper motor responsible for the extrusion. The motherboard, LCD, PID constants of the heater and the
operation and safety conditions are defined in the program. The extruder was calibrated by adjusting the number of
steps per unit length of the stepper motor.
The 3D printer can be operated not only by the PC but also from the LCD interface which includes an SD card
reader and displays the most important parameters enabling the user to adjust them.
The robot controller, Stäubli CS7, has 12 inputs and 6 outputs for communication, three out of six inputs being
high speed (1ms cycle). When the extruder nozzle has reached the proper temperature, the microcontroller of the 3D
printer sends a 12 V signal to a high-speed input of the robot controller via a 24 V step up module.

4. Programming

4.1. Printing parameters

The extruder system has four parameters: the extruder feed rate, the amount of extrusion, the extruder
temperature and the cooling fan speed. Initially, the speed of the cooling fan was set to maximum while the extruder
temperature was regulated at 190 ⁰C. The amount of extrusion was calculated as the total distance that the nozzle
would travel in order to build the entire object.
The flowrate of the material (𝑄𝑄̇ )⁡through the nozzle must be synchronized with the speed of deposition (𝑉𝑉𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝 )
and the cross-sectional area (𝐴𝐴) of the bead [14]: 𝐴𝐴 = 𝑄𝑄̇ ⁄𝑉𝑉𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝𝑝 . The flow rate through the nozzle could be
calculated by assuming a simple Hagen-Poiseuille and using the dimensions of section 2 (Fig. 2) of the nozzle [18]:
⁡𝑄𝑄̇ = 𝜋𝜋(𝐷𝐷2 /2)4 𝛥𝛥𝛥𝛥/⁡(8𝜂𝜂𝐿𝐿2 )⁡. However, in this case the flow rate was calculated simply by multiplying the feed rate
of the filament by the filament’s cross-sectional area. Note that the speed of deposition is identical with the linear
speed of the end effector of the robotic arm. Therefore, in every printing process, the speed of the robot’s end
effector (𝑉𝑉𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟 ) was defined first and the feed rate of the extruder was calculated last depending on the nozzle and
filament diameter as: 𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹𝐹⁡𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅 = 𝑉𝑉𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟 𝐴𝐴𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 /⁡𝐴𝐴𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓𝑓 .
At the beginning of the printing process, the robotic arm was activated by the PC and it was positioned at the
starting point of the trajectory waiting for a signal from the 3D printer to start. At the same time, the 3D printer was
powered and the programming code was uploaded through an SD card. As soon as the material heats up (in about 10
minutes), the 3D printer signals to the robotic arm to start the motion. At the end of the printing process, the robotic
arm is guided to a safe position and the 3D printer stops after a few seconds as the length of the extrusion was
calculated to stop almost immediately after the end of the process. During the printing, the extrusion can be stopped
to allow for a path change. The calculation of the flow rate and the amount of the extrusion were coded in Matlab.
Note that at this stage no special recalculation in flow rate or in robot speed was done at turning points of the path.

4.2. Path programming

The robot path was programmed in V+ providing all the functionality of modern high-level languages, including:
callable subroutines, control structures, multi-tasking environment and recursive, re-entrant program execution. The
motion of the robotic arm was specified by using reference points on the printing surface, vector calculus and
looping structures. Planar surfaces were programmed, but not necessarily horizontal ones. Reference point
coordinates were taught to the robot by using a teach pendant and moves connecting them were added using the
robot’s editor. Afterwards, using looping structures in V+, the same path was followed on parallel planes as
required. A part of a code written in V+ is presented in Fig. 3. In this example of code, the reference points startp,
endp, apt, bpt, cpt, dpt are defined in the cartesian space by positions and r orientation rotations (X, Y, Z, y, p, r) by
using the command TRANS. After a delay of 10 seconds (DELAY), the speed of the robot’s end effector is defined
at 16 mm/sec for every movement (SPEED 16 MMPS ALWAYS) and then this is moved linearly to point startp
 Andi Dine et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 17 (2018) 6–13 11
6 Dine, Vosniakos/ Procedia Manufacturing 00 (2018) 000–000

(MOVES). The command BREAK does not allow the controller to proceed to another command until the last one is
completed. Next, the command WAIT SIG(1002) pauses the robot until input 1002 is ON, signalling readiness for
printing. Following that, the FOR command executes a loop of material deposition commands 15 times to construct
a layer of single-bead-walled meander-like part: this is defined iteratively by points apt and bpt, displaced according
to command SHIFT by -2.5 mm and -0.1 mm in X and Z directions respectively. Movement in Z direction is due to
the inclination of the printing table in this case.

PROGRAM example() FOR tt = 1 TO 15

SET startp = TRANS(955.16, 162.49, -240.97, -0.17, 179.79, -0.18) MOVES apt
SET endp = TRANS(955.16, 162.49, -100, -0.17, 179.79, -0.18) BREAK
SET apt = TRANS(955.16, 0, -240.54, -0.23, 179.79, -0.24) MOVES bpt
SET bpt = TRANS(955.16, -75, -239.9, -0.77, 179.79, -0.79) BREAK
SET cpt = TRANS(905.16, -75, -242.46, -0.8, 179.79, -0.82) SET apt = SHIFT (apt BY -2.5, 0, -0.1)
SET dpt = TRANS(905.16, 0, -242.68, -0.87, 179.79, -0.89) SET bpt = SHIFT (bpt BY -2.5, 0, -0.1)
DELAY 10 MOVES bpt
SPEED 16 MMPS ALWAYS BREAK
MOVES startp MOVES apt
BREAK BREAK
WAIT SIG(1002) SET apt = SHIFT (apt BY -2.5, 0, -0.1)
DELAY 5 SET bpt = SHIFT (bpt BY -2.5, 0, -0.1)
END

Fig. 3 Example of trajectory code in V+

5. Examples

Using the integrated system, see Fig. 4(a), several shell-shaped objects were printed successfully, see Table 2 and
Fig. 5. The printing surface was made of marble, see Fig. 4(b). For some of the parts the printing surface was
deliberately inclined at 3 % and 1 % length and width-wise. It is pointed out that the thickness of the first layer of
each printed part was assumed to be 0.5 mm, corresponding to the distance of the extrusion head over the printing
surface at the beginning of the printing process.

a b

Fig. 4 The robotic 3D printer (a) general view (b) focus on printing area
12 Andi Dine et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 17 (2018) 6–13
Dine, Vosniakos / Procedia Manufacturing 00 (2018) 000–000 7

Note that in the case of the meander part, see Figs 4(b) and 5(c), the printing surface had to be heated to 60 0C to
achieve a non-deformed shape. Uneven height of the individual ranks resulted when heating was omitted,
presumably due to the large thermal gradients involved [19].

Table 2. Printed parts and their dimensions

Object 1: parallelepiped 2: open box 3: meander 4: heart

Layers 17 23 30 30
Overlap (mm) 0 0.1 0.2 0.1 0 0
CAD Dim Err Dim Err Dim Err CAD Dim Err CAD Dim Err CAD Dim Err
(mm) (%) (mm) (%) (mm) (%) (mm) (%) (mm) (%) (mm) (%)
Length 75.4 76 0.8 76 0.8 76 0.8 75.4 75.9 0.7 78.7 79.3 0.8 - - -
Width 50.4 51 1.2 50.9 1.0 51.1 1.4 10.65 11.3 6.1 76.2 76.6 0.5 - - -
Height 6.9 6.9 0.0 5.61 -5.9 3.54 -4.3 7.2 7.0 -2.8 12.1 12.3 1.7 9.2 8.84 -3.9

Fig. 5 Example parts printed (a) Parallelepiped (b) Open box (c) Meander (d) Heart

The average percentage error in length, width and height for the four parts presented are 0.76 %, 2.04 % and -
3.9% respectively, see Table 2. The main reason for the existence of errors in height is the assumption of the height
of the first layer being 0.5 mm. As regards other directions, the use of joints 4 and 5 in conjunction with the weight
of the 3D printer (2.5 Kg) can create oscillations affecting all dimensions. The errors in length (less than 1 %) are
the smallest since length-wise motion is not affected by oscillations contrary to width-wise motion. Moreover, the
constancy of flow rate neglecting acceleration / deceleration of the robot does also affect accuracy of the part near
its boundary.

6. Conclusions

An accurate robot, such as the one used in this work, could be perfectly used for moving a 3D printing head. If its
acceleration were taken into account by the extruder motor the results would be even better in terms of achievable
shape accuracy. The biggest advantage of such a system is the size of the printed part which could be as large as the
workspace of the robot; in this case, its length and height could be 1100 mm and 506 mm respectively taking the
 Andi Dine et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 17 (2018) 6–13 13
8 Dine, Vosniakos/ Procedia Manufacturing 00 (2018) 000–000

dimensions of the printing head into account. This capability can be improved even more by establishing a movable
base or a gantry-type robot, in any case safeguarding the ability of the head to deposit material on a plane tangent to
the surface being created.
Up to now complex trajectories can be achieved on the same plane, which is not necessarily horizontal. Indeed,
several axes work simultaneously, but this is taken care of by the robot controller through its inverse kinematics
routines. However, further work needs to be done, in order to exploit the capabilities of this system to the full,
regarding improvement in mechanical properties and reduction in printing time. First, a slicing / toolpath planning
algorithm capable of multiplane printing should be developed. Second, inner filling path patterns should be possible
to specify in a standard way; smoother outer toolpaths by contour multiplane strategies could also be defined. Third,
adjustment of flow rate with respect to direction or speed change is needed, typically to avoid overflow at the
corners of printed objects.

Acknowledgements

Hellenic Petroleum group is gratefully acknowledged for their financially supporting the first author.

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