3d printing with kuka

[Carlos Mendes]

I´m new in this world of using grasshoper and kuka_prc for 3d printing with a kuka robot.

I would appreciate if someone could give me some tips.

First of all i´m interested in importing G-code to kuka_prc, I read that the feature is only for members. There is a way i can get a temporary license to try that feature? There are some tutorials about this subject?

Other subject that i'm interested is about the strategies used for design the infill in this kind of process. Any tips, examples or tutorials that can help me?

[Johannes @ Robots in Architecture]

Hello Carlos,

For a temporary license you can contact me at johannes@robotsinarchitecture.org.
However, I am not sure if a slicer developed for small scale printing will help you a lot with your probably much larger nozzle and objects. Don't expect instant success but as is often the case with 3D printing a lot of tuning ;)

Best,
Johannes

[Carlos Mendes]

Hello Johannes,

Thank you for your attention. I already sent an email.

About the strategies used for design the infill in this kind of process, there are any tips or examples how its normally done?

Best regards,
Carlos

[Johannes @ Robots in Architecture]

Hello Carlos,

Sorry, I cannot help you with that, maybe someone else can contribute. While we work with robotic 3D printing, it rarely involves infill. You probably found it as well, but here's a top result from Google that looks helpful: https://discourse.mcneel.com/t/creating-infill-geometry-in-grasshopper/87592
I'll get back to you via email regarding the trial license.

Best,
Johannes

[Johannes @ Robots in Architecture]

Also, here is a simple example on importing G-code!
Best,
Johannes

[Carlos Mendes]

Once again, thank you Johannes.

I have another question, I have a simple tool path obtained through the contour function. But I wanted that the last point of the first layer become the start point of the next layer and so on, so the extruder doesnt travel to the start point. Any suggestion?

Best regards,

[Johannes @ Robots in Architecture]

Hello,

Your Rhino file was missing, so I don't know how your geometry looked like. With the contour component the robot would follow one contour and then go in a straight line to the next contour. What would be your goal? That it becomes more like a helix without sudden changes?

Best,
Johannes

[Carlos Mendes]

Hello,

I attached the file.

The geometry is a simple rectangle with a zigzag structure inside (infill). My goal is to have continuous extrusion and for that i need that the end point of the countour command of the first layer be the start point of the second layer and so on. This way i can avoid the travel movement from the end point to the start point every layer.

If there is another way to do this?

Best regards,
Carlos Mendes

[Johannes @ Robots in Architecture]

Honestly, I don't think there is a way to have a zig-zag infill plus a perimeter that start and end at the same point. I played around for like 15mins, you can find the file attached, maybe there are some pointers that you can use. I guess you could split the infill and have one zig-zag that goes "down" and then another that goes up.
Also, your simulation is very slow because of the huge tool meshes. Join them in Rhino into one mesh, run ReduceMesh and get them down to like 5000 faces and everything will be much nicer and more responsive.

Best,
Johannes

[Carlos Mendes]

Hello Johannes,

Thank you for all your help, it's been very helpful.

I dont want to have a zig-zag infill plus a perimeter that start and end at the same point, I want that the end point of the first contour ( first layer) be the start point of the second contour (second layer). I think that's not hard for someone who have skills in grasshopper, that's not my case.

I attached a scheme that represents what i'm trying to do.

Best regards,
Carlos Mendes

[Johannes @ Robots in Architecture]

Well, what is easy and not is often hard to judge in advance. But in your case, with the relatively simple geometry, it only means that every second layer will be reversed, which is easy enough to do. See attached.

Best,
Johannes

[Carlos Mendes]

Hello Johannes,

Thanks for your help, that was what I was trying to do. Dont get me wrong, for sure im not the best person to judge what its easy and not.

Now I'm trying to use the g-code import command and I want to convert the E value to a on/off command of my extruder.

Any advices or there are some examples that i can check?

Once again, thank you for all your attention.

Best regards,
Carlos Mendes

[Carlos Mendes]

I changed the extrusion mode for "D", and I noticed that it inserts the digital output in the code.

Just to confirm. The command determines whether the extrusion is positive or negative and adds an on/off command accordingly?

Best regards

[Johannes @ Robots in Architecture]

Hello Carlos,

Yes, that's how it should work. With a Boolean on/off only positive change will show up. So you cannot retract the filament that way.

Best,
Johannes

[Carlos Mendes]

Perfect.

Now I want to connect to the digital output to the robot. I have two functions saved in the robot "DESLIGAR/EXTRUSAO" AND "LIGAR_EXTRUSAO" that are the procedures for turning the extruder on and off and I want to call them in the code.

I attached the file that I did for this and I would like to know if this is the right/best way to do it. I have a lot of doubts. I would appreciate your feedback.

Best,
Carlos Mendes