System development for the five-axis extrusion of a photopolymer

Abstract

The development of a novel method of additive manufacturing involving the support-free extrusion of a photopolymer is discussed. The objectives of the paper are the presentation of mechanical and electrical hardware developments for a freeform additive manufacturing system, a discussion of the process developments that have taken place, and the presentation of the results from tests used to validate improvements to the system. Developments include the replacement of the UV light source with lasers, and the implementation of collision avoidance algorithms. The results include a significant increase in the speed of the extrusion process, and an improved toolpath viability achieved by the implementation of the collision avoidance algorithms.