MACHINE & TOOLSPROCESS DEVELOPMENTROBOTIC 3D PRINTING
ROBOTIC FDM 3D PRINTING
Six-axis 3D printing for thermoplastic polymers.
Robotic FDM 3D printing brings additive manufacturing onto a 6-axis anthropomorphic robot: the nozzle does not move on fixed horizontal planes, it orients the deposit in space following the geometry of the part. Cell, slicing software and programming environment are developed entirely by AIVOX and integrated with Grasshopper. A single parametric workflow from form to printed part.
FDM additive manufacturing with anthropomorphic robot
The robot orients the nozzle in space, follows the curvature of the geometry, distributes material along the structurally meaningful directions of the part. It is not a variant of conventional printing — it is a different depositional logic, using the same material to produce objects with geometries and mechanical performance inaccessible to Cartesian deposition.
The closed chamber with heated build plate extends compatibility to high-temperature technical polymers — ABS, ASA, PC, loaded composites. The high-flow extrusion system reaches 95 mm³/s in standard configuration and 110 mm³/s in extended configuration. The AIVOX software is natively integrated in Rhinoceros and Grasshopper: slicing, trajectories, simulation and machine control take place in a single environment, with no exports or manual handoffs.
Scale and applications: one process for any geometry and sector
The freedom of movement of the robot is not a property tied to a specific sector — it transfers identically to design objects, industrial components, architectural elements and structural parts for high-engineering applications.
Complex morphologies, controlled surface textures and design for manufacturing integrated from the first Grasshopper curve.
Technical materials with full geometric freedom. From prototype to small batch with the same cell and the same digital workflow.
Large-format components with non-developable geometries. The topology of the deposit follows the topology of the load.
Controlled mechanical anisotropy, optimised geometries, measurable reduction in weight and material waste.
Platform for advanced slicing and non-planar deposition, accessible from the computational design environment already in use.
Extended material compatibility:
all FDM filaments in closed chamber
The closed chamber makes any FDM filament processable in a thermally controlled environment compatible with the process.
For standard applications:
PLA, PETG, TPU.
For technical applications:
ABS, ASA, PC and high-temperature blends.
For structural applications:
Carbon fibre, glass fibre and aramid fibre-loaded composites.
Selection is made in coordination with the AIVOX team based on geometry and required performance.
From parametric model to printed part: the integrated workflow
01 // Computational Design and DfM
Orientation, material distribution and slicing method are design parameters in Grasshopper from the outset. The form is designed already knowing how it will be built.
02 // Slicing and path generation
Trajectories generated according to the selected method: spiralize, angled, variable-height layer, non-planar, adaptive or conform. Real-time visualisation on the 3D model.
03 // Simulation e verification
Trajectories, robot kinematics and absence of collisions fully simulated in Rhinoceros/Grasshopper before the robot moves.
04 // Execution and control
Robot and extruder synchronised in real time by the AIVOX control system, integrated with the KUKA KR C5 controller.
Beyond the cartesian paradigm: why robotic FDM
The limitations of Cartesian FDM printing — uncontrollable anisotropy, stepped surfaces, unavoidable supports — are not limitations of FDM technology. They are limitations of the Cartesian paradigm.
Robotic 6-axis FDM overcomes those limits with a single process covering the full range of applications, from prototype to structural component, with the same digital workflow and the same constructive logic.
Print trajectories as design parameters in Grasshopper.
From prototype to small batch without any change of tooling.
Robotic additive manufacturing accessible from the computational design environment already in use.
Explore the process with AIVOX
The AIVOX team supports designers, researchers and institutions from project analysis through to production.