ADAXIS is going to make every robot a 3D printer.
That is, if one chooses to do so.
The Swedish-French company is developing advanced software that can drive standard industrial robots to act as 3D printers. This includes not only job execution but also job preparation. Currently, the company supports robots from ABB Rapid, KUKA KRL, FANUC LS, or standard GCODE can be generated for others.
They explain their software product:
“AdaOne is a powerful and intuitive software for robotic additive manufacturing of metals, plastics, composites, and concrete. The software platform covers every aspect needed to go from idea to finished part.”
Utilizing Robots for Additive Manufacturing
Using robots for additive manufacturing is not a new approach. It’s been done for many years, perhaps even decades at this point.
This method has proven effective, particularly for constructing larger-scale objects such as furniture or building components.
However, in each instance, the software to drive those systems has been custom-made. The companies marketing these robotic systems basically bundle their custom software with a specific robot and sell it as a 3D printer.
ADAXIS: Transforming Existing Robots into 3D Printers
ADAXIS breaks this pattern into smithereens. Instead of the requirement to buy a specific bundle from a robotic 3D printer company, you simply buy their software, and your existing robots can become 3D printers.
For companies that already have industrial robots on-site — and there are many such operations — this is an easy decision if occasional 3D printing is required. In fact, it’s likely you could even have dual-purpose robots: sometimes they do 3D printing, and sometimes they perform traditional robot tasks.
Overcoming the Barrier: Convincing Manufacturers to Embrace AdaOne
However, because the ADAXIS concept is so different from current approaches, the company may find it challenging to persuade manufacturers to consider using AdaOne. Many manufacturers are notorious for not wanting to change their operations, and that could be a barrier ADAXIS might need to overcome.
By the way, if you haven’t figured it out already, the company name seems to be a play on “ADDitive AXIS,” as their robotic software can use six axes of motion.
ADAXIS Joins 3MF Consortium
Finally, the company just announced they’ve joined the 3MF consortium. This is a non-profit group of companies attempting to grow and enhance the increasingly popular 3MF file format among the additive manufacturing industry.
I’m very interested to see what comes next from ADAXIS.
Via ADAXIS
