Exploring Robotically 3D Printed Structures in Virtual Reality

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ORGANIZATION

Design, Research, and Education for Additive Manufacturing Systems Lab

EXHIBITORS

Joseph Kubalak, College of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Design, Research, and Education for Additive Manufacturing Systems Lab

WHAT HAPPENS HERE?

Advances in robotics allow us to 3D print structures in new and exciting ways, but visualizing those structures is difficult on a screen. In virtual reality, these structures come to life by enabling 3D exploration. Attendees will be able to see robotically printed structures in VR and in real life.

WHAT WAS THE PROCESS?

There are three components to this project: i) a custom MATLAB toolpath planner ii) a Unity virtual reality environment, and iii) a robotic printer. The MATLAB workflow optimizes a geometry and toolpath based on the end-use application. The resulting structure is difficult to view on a screen – hence the second component of the exhibit. The VR environment enables the user to easily explore and validate the structure. From there, the toolpath is sent to the robotic printer for fabrication. Learn more.