Robot development and programming for the automation of additive manufacturing processes

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Automation of advanced manufacturing processes increases capacity and enables scaling. Automation of additive manufacturing (AM) processes has yet to be implemented in an industrial setting and the process design regarding such automation is not well defined. Automation of AM processes will revolutionize this sector and enable AM tools to be utilized by conventional manufacturers. This project will design and implement an automated 2-axis gantry-style robot to conduct labour-intensive AM processes such as: Identification and travel to printers with completed parts, removal of printer plate with extendable gripper arm, transfer of plate to a repository for manual part removal during a dedicated time of the work day, replace the plate with a new one, and printing initiation of a new part. Such process automation will decrease personnel costs, increase productivity, and allow for scaling.