High-Precision Motion for 3D Additive Manufacturing and Dispensing Systems

摘要

Motion control cannot be an afterthought as new technologies require additive processes to be capable of high precision and multi-axis coordination. As the dispensing head and tool-point technologies become more refined, the motion system becomes even more critical. Minimum feature size and part precision are subject to the error between the motion system and the process additions such as the dispensing head and feedback devices. The errors associated with such a sophisticated process can be difficult to measure and equally challenging to mitigate. Mechanical components for up to six degrees of freedom may be needed in certain cases in which the errors can become much larger and more complex. Metrology and compensatory methods are useful when solving these challenges and uncover motion errors that have a limiting effect on the capabilities of the process.