Session: 02-01-01: Product and Process Design

Paper Number: 141818

141818 - Integrated Process Optimization for Robotic Additive Manufacturing 

The adoption of serial manipulators with six degrees of freedom in the field of additive manufacturing is an emerging trend thanks to effective advances compared to traditional machines based on cartesian movements. Reduction of the volume of supports and the related “staircase effect”, large printing volume, more flexibility on the printing strategy, use of multiple materials, are just some of the potential benefits retuned by robotic additive manufacturing. Nevertheless, the planning of the printing trajectories and definition of the related code to drive the robot movements are still managed by different digital tools that make it challenging to identify the optimal process. This work aims to provide a framework to support the development of the printing process driven by complex machines such as robotic arms. Driven by the 3D model of the part to build, the process setup is the first main phase. It comprises subsequent steps related to part placement in the build envelope, the definition of support geometries, and the slicing operation. The next phase is the process simulation. It assesses the proposed setup, which directly impacts the final quality of the part and the related cost. The quality is related to distortions due to residual stresses. The cost of the part is associated with the volume of the material used and the printing time. Finally, the last phase is machine programming. It returns the code to drive the robot, with the instructions written according to the language required by the selected robot. Furthermore, it returns also the synchronization between the robot movement and the start and stop of the extruder. With the suggested framework, the three phases are integrated into the same computer-aided design platform that is configured with the model of the robotic system (robot, extruded, and printing area). The specific functions to integrate are investigated, and robotic system kinematics are recreated in the environment. Process setup and simulation loops can be performed to identify the optimal process assuming part quality and cost as the performance indicators. The feasibility of integrating the three phases in the platform is evaluated by considering a reference part with a simple geometry. The optimization capability is validated by means of a part with a complex shape, comparing the use of the robotic arm and the traditional approach with a cartesian printing machine. The returned data related to part quality and cost provides an objective assessment of the better printing setup for the select part to build.

Presenting Author: Fabio Pini “Enzo Ferrari” Engineering Department - University of Modena and Reggio Emilia

Presenting Author Biography: Tenure track Professor at the “Enzo Ferrari” Engineering Department - Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia - UNIMORE), in the Academic Discipline “Design Methods for Industrial Engineering”. Research scientist in the IDEA Lab on Computer Aided Design for Product Lifecycle Management -integrated development of industrial products and processes, design by simulation of mechanical systems, knowledge-based engineering - and on the Desing of Collaborative and Industrial robotics solutions and devices: design by simulation of robotic equipment for manufacturing and assembly operations. Teacher for the Inter-University International Degree Course in Advanced Automotive Engineering, for the Inter-University Bachelor Degree Course in Human Centered Medical System Engineering, as well as for the Bachelor Degree courses in Vehicle Engineering, and Computer Engineering of UNIMORE.

Authors:

Fabio Pini “Enzo Ferrari” Engineering Department - University of Modena and Reggio Emilia
Enrico Dalpadulo “Enzo Ferrari” Engineering Department - University of Modena and Reggio Emilia
Francesco Leali “Enzo Ferrari” Engineering Department - University of Modena and Reggio Emilia