[printart]

Hi,

Bit of an intro before I start; currently I'm an engineer working in the semicon field. Out of personal interest I'm looking into WAAM-sort of printing to realize art. Education background is mainly theoretical but I have experience with CAD/CAM in solidworks and operating CNC milling machines (as well as some online Gcode programming). So the goal is basically combining a robot arm with a welding torch.

Apart from which license-version to choose for hobby (educational? pro?) I'm a bit lost with how RoboDK handles the tool. A 3D model of the tool is easy. But what about the actual action? This could be a spindle (RPM), torch (welding current, wire feed) and other things. How are setting these handled by RoboDK? Create the movements in space seems quite straightforward with the software and tutorial that are on the website. But how do you set 'machining'/'welding'?


Shopping list;
software for drawing (solidworks,fusion)
software for creating arm/toolpath (roboDK)
硬件movement (arm)
硬件printing (welding equipment)

Major parts missing?

[Jeremy]

Hi printart,

To create your 3D printing program, you will also need a Slicer.
A slicer is a software that converts your 3D model into slice that can be printed one at the time.
RoboDK offers you to use a basic slicer called Slic3r. It's a free software, but it has some limitation.
Considering that the task you want to achieve will require to modify a lot of parameters compared to a standard plastic 3D printer, I would recommend you to take a look at Simplify3D.
You will have more freedom to adjust the parameters (width and height of each pass for example). It's not a very expensive software, 150 bucks or something like that if I recall well.
This software will output some Gcode that can be converted into robot code by RoboDK.

For the "action" of your tool.
In RoboDK you will create a 3D printing project. (Or machining project, both are the same.)
You will then have the "Program Events" option when you can tell RoboDK that you want, for example, to start the welding gun at the beginning of the path and stop it at the end.

Hope it helps.
Jeremy

[printart]

Thanks Jeremy, this should get me started.

[gurcitom]

Hello, please, how can I put there easily ArcOn and ArcOff? Extruder just marking volume of extruded filament...but when I want to use it for WAAM, I just want to put i there informations ArcOn and ArcOff. How it is possible?

Thanks.

Kind regards.

Tomas

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I was meaning the start and the end of every path, that should be printed (every layer, infill, overlap etc.). I know, that for printing of plastics, there is information about volume of printed plastics, but I want to give the information to robot about ArcStart (start extruding) and ArcOff (stop extruding).

Thanks a lot.