AES Explores the Application of Robots and Gantry in Large-Format Additive Manufacturing at Shanghai Carbon Materials Expo

Additive Engineering Solutions specializes in 3D printing oversized parts and tools on gantry machines and has now also incorporated large-format Additive Manufacturing with robots. Below is a comparison of the robots.

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Additive Engineering Solutions (AES) in Akron, Ohio, has been dedicated to the additive manufacturing of large polymer composite components for many years. Now, the company has adopted a new method.

Come print these large components with 3D printing. In addition to the existing machines, the company is now using its first additive manufacturing robot.

AES's latest large-scale additive manufacturing system is its first AM robot.

The existing machines are large gantry-style 3D printers, with a build area of approximately 12×6 feet. The company has been committed to developing large-format AM for tools since its inception and continues to fill these needs.

Machine production capacity and backlog orders, these machines are used to manufacture composite material lay-up and processing tools, forming and assembly tools, even precast concrete tools, as well as large-scale 3D printed production components. Now, used for

3D-printed robots are providing more capacity in the same category, but their capabilities differ in many aspects. I learned from AES Co-founder Austin Schmidt that the team is gradually understanding the larger...

The Differences Between Large AM on Type龙门 and Robots.

Schmidt noted that one advantage of the robot was evident from the very beginning, even before it started operating. "The installation process is completely different," he pointed out. "The installation and use of the robot are both much simpler."

Austin Schmidt, a co-owner of the company, stated that the company has been searching for a more feature-rich additive manufacturing system for years. The company has declined numerous additive manufacturing project bids due to the three-axis dragon

The door machine tool is unable to produce products with this geometric shape.

龙门式 3D Printing and Robotic 3D Printing: Installation, Build Speed, Range

The large gantry AM machine (large enough for a person to enter) used for installing AES will take just a few weeks. Schmidt said, "A team of three people, depending on the size and complexity of the machine."

Installation is expected to take 4-8 weeks. (If ground excavation is required to accommodate the Z-axis travel, the installation time will be extended.) He said AES has found attractive second-hand gantry machines.

Due to relocation and installation costs, the purchase had to be abandoned. In comparison, a team of three installed the AM robot system in just three days.

The significance of this advantage extends beyond the initial installation. "As a production resource, the robot's mobility is stronger," Schmidt said. It can be more easily repositioned if production capacity or workflows require it.

Identifying various sections of the AES factory. Factories that rely more on robots for large-scale AM, as opposed to enclosed machines, are better suited to reorganization over time.

In comparison, the obvious advantage of the Longmen machine lies in its construction speed. The rigidity of the machine structure allows for the stronger extruder to bear heavier weights. Meanwhile, "the robot's weight is limited by the weight it can hoist at the end of its arm."

"Schmidt said. AES is accustomed to 3D printing at speeds exceeding 100 lbs/hour on its gantry machines, including high-temperature materials such as carbon fiber reinforced Ultem. The robot is too new, and the team is still..."

Understanding that it can be expected to have a normal deposition rate, it will still be a small fraction of that number. (Schmidt pointed out a condition: AES uses the smallest CEAD robot model. Faster deposition rates are achievable.)

We require a larger and more powerful robotic system.

AES boasts three gantry-style AM machines; the robot is situated between two of these machines. Compared to these machines, the robot is easier to reposition, thereby providing a more adaptable production facility.

Additionally, the build volume varies between the two platforms and can develop in both directions. For the gantry machine, the build volume is a box: easy to view and understand. For the robot, the build volume is not like that.

The robot can rotate around its hub, like a human arm, with its lateral extension being longer and shorter. The result is, "The construction volume is essentially a doughnut," says Schmidt.

Determining whether a given component fits within the volume or how to fit it in, "may be difficult to comprehend."

Nick Luther utilizes Adaxis programming software, which also features a function to prevent collisions within the complex construction range of the AM robots.

Adaxis 3D printing software is highly useful for determining how to design or position parts for production within a robot's working range.

What's more, this software unlocks the most transformative possibilities of the robot system Schmidt has anticipated: multiplane 3D printing.

Multi-plane 3D printing is a capability achieved by the robots, for which AES has also employed programming software. The angle of the 3D printing layers can vary with each layer. Here (from left to right) are Nick Luther,

Me and Austin Schmidt.

Robotics 3D Prints from Multiple Perspectives

Photograph of a part made using multi-plane 3D printing. The layer height varies from the high side to the short side, making each layer trapezoidal. The material of this part and the part in the next photo is Airtech 20% glass.

Fill ABS.

"The 'Multi-plane' refers to the robot's ability to freely rotate around the extruder, thus 3D printing is not limited to parallel planes. The programming in Adaxis takes advantage of this freedom to provide deposition paths, pressing in an area... "

Reducing the layer height in another area allows for angles to be changed between layers. (The following video discusses this.) Multi-plane printing on gantry machines is at best impractical.

It can print out forms and features that cannot be achieved when the gantry moves only in the XYZ direction.

"We can accomplish the work that previously required multiple builds on the gantry in one go on the robot," Schmidt stated. More importantly, "many components we hadn't bid on before because we couldn't ensure their quality."

"Manufactured on a three-axis machine." By 3D printing in different orientations throughout the construction process, the robot provides a method for generating shapes, whereas these shapes would be produced on an XYZ gantry machine.

Unsupported sagging may occur.

3D printing on an inclined slicing plane simplifies the creation of this tool. The inclined slicing allows for consistent dual bead wall thickness, thereby enhancing strength and ensuring the tool's airtightness.

In light of this, AES has not only expanded its robots and software. To develop expertise in the AM robotics field and fully leverage the geometric freedom offered by robots, AES has also hired a new employee:

Nick Luther will be responsible for running and overseeing the CEAD system. AES is highly streamlined, and the new capacity requires new staff. However, regarding this capacity, Schmidt noted that the company also acknowledges the need for a shift in mindset.

Luther is a novice, "he has not yet fully mastered our gatekeeper method."

8th International Carbon Materials Conference & Industrial Exhibition (Carbo)ntech 2024 will be grandly held at the Shanghai New International Expo Center, in halls W1 and W2, from December 5th to 7th. This edition of the exhibition is expected to showcase an area of 40,000 square meters.

0m2, gathering over 800 manufacturers from the upstream and downstream of the global carbon material industry chain. Concurrently, 9 themed forums and 1 closed-door symposium were held, attracting participants from diamond, ultra-precision machining, graphene, carbon nanomaterials, and carbon.

Over 50,000 domestic and international buyers in the fields of fibers and composite materials, carbon-carbon composites, and new energy carbon materials visited the venue, creating a professional, innovative, and collaborative full industrial chain event for global buyers.