Novel one-degree of freedom helix machine architecture for additive manufacturing

Additive manufacturing has been relying on conventional machinery architecture. Conventionally, the architecture used is a Cartesian set-up. The X-Y-Z axis move independently to move the tool on the X-Y plan and increment the Z-axis when the layer is finished. The machine architecture in this paper simplifies the design by constraining the machine to have solely one-degree of freedom. One degree of freedom is also known as a helix linkage. If individually controlled tools are placed all along the rotating arm, then this movement allows an opportunity to deposit material in a single sweeping motion. To increase furthermore the output, multiple arms can be added at a fixed angle. Finally, because of the predictive motion, multiple helix machines can be synchronized to create collaboratively a bigger part. This type of manufacturing process has potential applications in binder jetting, material jetting, and selective laser sintering.

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Opracowanie rekordu ze środków MEiN, umowa nr SONP/SP/546092/2022 w ramach programu "Społeczna odpowiedzialność nauki" - moduł: Popularyzacja nauki i promocja sportu (2022-2023).