A project at the Centre for Fine Print Research (CFPR) based at the University of the West of England, (UWE) Bristol UK is looking at 3D printing from a totally different angle – where the emphasis is placed on meaningful expression, rather than the accurate reproduction of digital data. A flexible Mitsubishi Electric MELFA RV-Series articulated arm industrial robot is at the center of the project.
在运动类型（稳定加速和速度）和材料沉积方面，3D打印通常是一个非常精确的控制过程。
相反，精美印刷研究中心（CFPR）项目正在从艺术的角度看待3D打印，重点放在有意义的表达上。与该项目的一个很好的类比是陶艺轮，艺术家直接与粘土接触，并对在协同作用中工作的材料和车轮的限制有深入的了解。
Here, the artist is able to express something with the material, often pushing the material to its limits, for example by generating sweeping elegant forms, or revealing new material qualities, such as translucency. The CFPR has background expertise in ceramics, photo-cure resins and thermoplastics, all of which are being investigated with the robotic platform.
保罗·奥多德（Paul O’Dowd）博士已经能够应用自己的软件应用程序来推动3D打印过程的创造性方面，以创建表现力。
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Using a 3D printer in ‘unusual ways’ means moving beyond simply using CAD models and slicing algorithms, as these are too automated. By writing proprietary software, it is possible to develop printing methods from the point of view of how the material can be expressively played with.
In order to achieve this shifted perspective, the project is using a Mitsubishi Electric MELFA RV-7FLM robot arm to research technologies and techniques to sense and manipulate materials in a dynamic way, rather than deposit them in fixed, rigid or ‘machine-like’ ways. The robot is running printer paths defined by proprietary software and requires a high degree of automation and real-time responsiveness.
将JPEG设计图像转换为灰度，并根据图像密度控制头部速度的定制算法。该过程导致图像的复制，每次运行程序时，细节都是唯一的。
[资料来源：三菱电气欧洲B.V.]
“By pushing 3D printable materials to their limits, we have exposed unexpected properties in the materials,” says Dr Paul O’Dowd, Research Fellow – Creative Electronics and Engineering. “For instance, plastic deposition can be manipulated whilst it is hot and pulled into hairs, or fine gauss, or woven. Ceramics can also be deposited so that the material composition is capable of self-glazing in a single firing (as opposed to a multiple firing process). These material states may have applications in wider industry.”
The task of robotically manipulating materials through complex states – for example, sensing and responding to viscosity – requires the integration of several advanced technologies. The MELFA robot allows real-time control and provides a reliable programming interface to allow this to happen. It also has a large area of reach and movement for a compact robot arm.
“The Mitsubishi Electric robot arm manipulates materials from all directions,” continues O’Dowd. “Conventionally 3D Printers are machines with three linear axis (XYZ) and fabrication occurs in fixed horizontal layers. But the RV Series robot arm has both freedom of movement and a comprehensive set of expansion capabilities, including pneumatics and digital I/O, which are cleanly integrated into the chassis of the arm itself. This makes for an attractive combination of force control, movement range (908 mm reach) and reliability, while also being at the right price point.”
机器人使用二乳酸（PLA）丝，因为它具有低熔点也是由玉米淀粉制成的更环保的3D打印机材料之一。
[资料来源：三菱电气欧洲B.V.]
Proprietary software is being developed which must respond quickly and dynamically to changes in the material’s properties and the construction of the printed object. This means that the control program cannot be rigid in its operation. Instead it must constantly and iteratively interpret its working task environment and autonomously correct its behavior.
花瓶形状是在公开演示中创建的，斑点显示了灯罩安全系统中断机器人运动，有效地显示了相互作用的时间线。
[资料来源：三菱电气欧洲B.V.]
Commenting on his selection of the Mitsubishi Electric robot, Dr. O’Dowd said, ‘We researched several robot manufacturers before deciding on the Mitsubishi Electric model, we were looking for flexibility of movement as well as an open programming environment. What really decided it for us though was the affordability of the robot package and the level of support provided by Mitsubishi Electric. We were invited to the UK HQ to assess a robot and have received excellent technical support throughout the project. As the robot is pushed further we will continue to call on training and advice as we need it.’
The Mitsubishi Electric robot proved a useful tool to help create artistic objects using PLA, a bio-degradable type of plant-based thermoplastic used in 3D printers. The development team used the full extent of the robot’s movement to push the material beyond its normal operating envelope and create new effects. The intuitive and easy to use programming interface meant that it worked well with software developed by the university team that altered the deposition speed to pull the material into fine filaments. The same set-up is planned to be used for developing artistic creations with ceramics and photo-cure resins, the production process for which could then feed-back to commercial industrial applications.
Mitsubishi Electric
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