Automated MOLDAM Robotic System for 3D Printing: Manufacturing Aeronautical Mould Preforms

Additive manufacturing by extrusion of thermoplastic materials is becoming a promising technology due to the flexibility for generating parts of various sizes with complicated geometries, reducing lead time. Specifically, the additive manufacturing of thermoplastics in pellet format allows material deposition rates of tens of kg/h, being able to generate thermoplastic pre-molds in a reasonable time that can help improve profitability compared to the manufacture of metal moulds, contributing to material saving. Under this approach, a new automated robotic cell has been developed to manufacture pre-moulds for the aeronautical sector integrating a Fanuc M900iB/700 robot and a high feed rate pellet extruder. Along the project, the printed material has been selected and characterized under certain conditions, taking into account the requirements of the most demanding applications. On the other hand, the behaviour of the designed parts under working con-ditions has been simulated. Finally, the implementation of the robotic system has allowed the preliminary characterization of the pre-mould geometrical performance under the customer’s requirements. This article presents the manufacturing results of one use case using a new automated robotic system for 3D printing including future challenges.