The role of robotics in the 3D printing market

3D printing - or better, additive manufacturing - has now become a mature production technique that is benefiting a variety of industries. Robots can support this. Among other things, with the handling of the complex products after the printing process but also in assembly work and in logistical operations. In addition, robots can be used as printers themselves, with which special products such as houses and boats have already been printed.

What is popularly called "3D printing" is called "additive manufacturing" among connoisseurs and users. This is because, unlike familiar manufacturing processes such as milling, turning and drilling, no material is removed but rather added. The printer builds up the desired product by printing layers. Complex products can be produced directly on location with a high degree of flexibility and in the desired quality. What once began as a 'spielerei' to quickly produce prototypes has grown into a mature technology that is even used in sectors such as aerospace for the production of (certified) parts.

Deployment robot

The robot/3D-print combination can be made on several levels. First, a robot or cobot is ideally suited to help take parts from the 3D printer and store them. Vision systems can assist with this by detecting in advance what product is involved and how the robot can best remove it. When larger quantities are involved, robots can also assist in packaging and palletizing the products.

In combination with - again - a vision system, robots can be used to check quality. This does not involve tens or hundreds of pieces per minute - 3D printers do not work that fast - but with a vision system it is possible to quickly detect whether production errors have occurred somewhere that lead to possible rejection.

Print a robotic arm

A second combination between the two themes concerns the 3D printing of a robot (arm) itself. Namely, an overarching characteristic is flexibility. With robots, this flexibility can be partially thwarted by the fact that certain configurations or parts of a robot arm are not available. When this has to be solved through the regular way, this generally takes quite a long time, while the solution with a 3D printer might be solved in a few days or weeks. Often it concerns grippers, tools or additions to an existing robotic arm with which it is possible to grab just that one product or perform a certain complex operation. Many examples of this can be found on the Internet, from which it can be concluded that it is mainly the creativity of the designer that determines the number of possibilities of 3D printing. Companies starting with 3D printing might therefore consider hiring a separate (young) employee for this purpose who has grown up with design and modeling software. This generation is able to quickly translate ideas into a file that is read by a 3D printer and used for printing.

Robot as 3D printer

Finally, we make a combination by using a robot as the printer itself. In this, the robot arm is linked to the print nozzle and makes the necessary movements to build up the layers in the right position. One of the "gems" in the Netherlands in this regard is the Delft-based CEAD, which builds 3D printers to print, for example, a complete boat or parts of buildings. Other companies focus on using a 3D printing robot in the open air to print a "house" with this - for example, with clay, straw and water - in a quick way.

Being creative AND being able to work with design and modeling software opens the world to getting started with a 3D printer. (Image: CEAD)

In summary, the techniques of robotics and 3D printing complement each other symbiotically to create products and semi-finished products in a fast, flexible manner. Especially when it comes to small numbers to single pieces or when speed of availability is an issue.