3D printing birdhouses with ceramic clay using a six-axis palletizing robot

Abstract

Over the past few decades, billions of adult breeding birds have been lost worldwide. The primary factors for this population loss are habitat loss and global warming. To aid the efforts for bird conservation, we have designed a simple birdhouse that can be 3D printed rapidly using a six-axis arm robot. We transformed a six-axis palletizing robotic arm into a ceramic 3D printer with the help of an extruder, stepper motor, and a custom Printed Circuit Board (PCB) consisting of an ESP32 and a motor driver. The ceramic clay is stored in a pneumatic pressure tank. An air compressor pump transports the clay from the tank to the extruder. We conducted various experiments at 8–10 bars of air pressure with different water-to-clay ratios. We found that the optimum air pressure, water-to-clay ratio, and nozzle sizes are 10 bars, 0.084, and 5 mm, respectively. After determining the appropriate printing parameters, we designed the birdhouse in the Mastercam software and generated the G-code. The G-code is loaded onto the robot controller, and the birdhouse is printed in parts. We dried the birdhouse for 24 h and then baked it in a kiln for 24 h at 1000 degrees Celsius. We then compared the ceramic birdhouse to a wooden birdhouse. The ceramic birdhouse maintains internal temperatures of 38 degrees Celsius or lower despite external temperatures reaching 43 degrees Celsius, which is on par if not better than the wooden birdhouse. This temperature will be beneficial for nesting, breeding, and egg development.