A new 3D printer has been “generated” with Autodesk software.
The project by Bristol-based Generative Machine intends to develop a five-axis FFF desktop 3D printer. Five axes are more than the typical three axes found on most desktop 3D printers. While a more complex design, the extra axes provide several important advantages:
Ability to eliminate support structures by rotating overhangs
Ability to strengthen the print by avoiding parallel layers
Reduced cost by lowering material consumption
There are several five-axis devices on the market, but most are quite expensive and definitely not desktop-sized. Generative Machine’s project will clearly help promote five-axis technology at a more affordable price point, especially since their design is intended to be open source.
There’s something very unusual about how Generative Machine is developing their 3D printer, however: the design was generated with AI tools.
Specifically, they used Autodesk’s Generative Design suite, which is a cloud platform to automatically create 3D designs. The system accepts a set of design constraints and then its AI logic iterates through possibilities until it finds a design that best meets the constraints. Typically, the designs are quite radical and organic, and usually must be 3D printed due to their complexity.
As far as I can tell, this is the only open-source desktop 3D printer design that has been developed in this way.
Generative Machine co-founder Ric Real told Autodesk:
“When generative design is further coupled with established parametric design methods, where the dimensions between critical components can be defined by dynamic relationships, entirely new machines, with varying dimensions and performance characteristics, can be generated in the click of a button— at least that’s the idea. Imagine just defining the required build volume, updating the parametric base configuration, and automatically ‘regenerating’ an optimised machine to these new dimensions— It’s not difficult to see the concept of ‘self-designing’ products and machines begin to emerge, and we can do it all in Fusion.”
Generative Machine has paired the mechanical design of the device with a Duet3D mainboard for control. There are multiple short videos showing the machine in operation, including at third-party locations, although it hasn’t really been released yet.
While there is value in a five-axis design, you might wonder if there is value in using a generative design approach: could a five-axis design be more easily made using conventional design approaches? Probably, but there are some extra twists to this scenario.
Unlike a typical Cartesian 3D printer where the print simply sits while it is produced, the five-axis system will rotate the object as the job proceeds. This means the mechanical system must do a lot more than just move the lightweight toolhead around: it has to lift the prints and move them precisely. That requires a far stronger mechanical design than is used in three-axis systems.
That’s where the generative design part provides benefit: it can generate the minimum structure necessary to handle the expected loads.
This is also important because the structure is intended to be printed in metal, which will be strong and stiff enough to do the job. Metal 3D printing is quite expensive, so anything to reduce the amount of material is quite welcome.
Generative design isn’t really necessary for three-axis 3D printer design, but it really does provide a lot of value for five-axis designs.
Via Autodesk
