A multiple axis robotic additive manufacturing system includes a robotic arm movable in six degrees of freedom. The system includes a build platform movable in at least two degrees of freedom and independent of the movement of the robotic arm to position the part being built to counteract effects of gravity based upon part geometry. The system includes an extruder mounted at an end of the robotic arm. The extruder is configured to extrude at least part material with a plurality of flow rates, wherein movement of the robotic arm and the build platform are synchronized with the flow rate of the extruded material to build the 3D part.

A wire-body processing structure for a robot including a base, a rotary drum rotating about a first axis, and an arm rotating about a second axis. The rotary drum has a hollow part extending from inside the base, along the first axis, and opening in a top surface of the rotary drum. The wire body inside the base is led out, via the hollow part, from the opening in the top surface of the rotary drum, is bent to the rear side of the rotary drum, is guided below the arm, is fixed to the rotary drum with a first fixing member, is bent along the arm, and is fixed to a side surface of the arm with a second fixing member, with a certain surplus of a length between the first fixing member and the second fixing member.

A multiple axis robotic additive manufacturing system includes a robotic arm movable in six degrees of freedom. The system includes a build platform movable in at least two degrees of freedom and independent of the movement of the robotic arm to position the part being built to counteract effects of gravity based upon part geometry. The system includes an extruder mounted at an end of the robotic arm. The extruder is configured to extrude at least part material with a plurality of flow rates, wherein movement of the robotic arm and the build platform are synchronized with the flow rate of the extruded material to build the 3D part.

The disclosure relates to an articulated robot having a serial kinematic mechanism for positioning an end effector, the kinematic mechanism having at least one part kinematic mechanism with a robot joint, with a robot limb mounted upstream of the robot joint, and with a robot limb mounted downstream of the robot joint. The at least one part kinematic mechanism has a linear drive, with a drive element, and a coupler with two coupler joints which are spaced apart from one another along the coupler extent, wherein the linear drive is arranged on a first robot limb of the part kinematic mechanism, and wherein the coupler is articulated on one side on the drive element of the linear drive and on the other side on the second robot limb of the part kinematic mechanism, spaced apart from the geometric axis of the robot joint of the part kinematic mechanism.

A method of printing a hollow part with a robotic additive manufacturing system includes extruding thermoplastic material onto a build platform movable in at least two degrees of freedom in a helical pattern along a continuous 3D tool path with an extruder mounted on a robotic arm, to thereby print a hollow member having a length and a diameter. The method includes orienting the hollow member during printing by moving the build platform based on a geometry of the hollow member wherein the movement of the build platform and the movement of the robotic arm are synchronized to print the part without support structures.

The robot includes a first arm member rotatable about a first axis line which extends in an up-and-down direction with respect to a base member, a second arm member supported by the first arm member so as to be swingable about a second axis line which extends in a horizontal direction, and a third arm member supported by a distal end side of the second arm member so as to be swingable about a third axis line which extends in a horizontal direction, and the first arm member is provided with a first attaching surface which is a surface substantially perpendicular to the second axis line, and to which the second arm member can be attached, and a second attaching surface which faces in a direction opposite from the first attaching surface, and to which the second arm member can be attached.

A method of printing a hollow part with a robotic additive manufacturing system includes extruding thermoplastic material onto a build platform movable in at least two degrees of freedom in a helical pattern along a continuous 3D tool path with an extruder mounted on a robotic arm, to thereby print a hollow member having a length and a diameter. The method includes orienting the hollow member during printing by moving the build platform based on a geometry of the hollow member wherein the movement of the build platform and the movement of the robotic arm are synchronized to print the part without support structures.

A robot has a robotic arm, including a base with a base contact surface and an end-effector that is connected to the base by joints which can be adjusted by robotic arm joint drives such that the end-effector has at least five, and in particular at least six, actuated degrees of freedom with respect to the base. The robot further includes a robot joint module with a first contact surface that can be fastened—in particular, releasably—to the base contact surface, a second contact surface for fastening the robot to a stationary environment or mobile platform, and at least one robot joint module drive for pivoting the first contact surface relative to the second contact surface about a pivot axis, so that the end-effector has at least six, and in particular at least seven, actuated degrees of freedom with respect to the second contact surface, and in particular with respect to the stationary environment or mobile platform.

A method of printing a hollow part with a robotic additive manufacturing system includes extruding thermoplastic material onto a build platform movable in at least two degrees of freedom in a helical pattern along a continuous 3D tool path with an extruder mounted on a robotic arm, to thereby print a hollow member having a length and a diameter. The method includes orienting the hollow member during printing by moving the build platform based on a geometry of the hollow member wherein the movement of the build platform and the movement of the robotic arm are synchronized to print the part without support structures.

A robot arm includes a distal end unit having a gripping part and a first supporting part that supports the gripping part, a first drive unit that, with an axis along a direction in which the gripping part and the first supporting part are arranged as a first axis, pivots the gripping part about a first pivot axis along the first axis relative to the first supporting part, a second supporting part that supports the first supporting part, and a second drive unit that, with an axis orthogonal to the first axis as a second axis, pivots the distal end unit about a second pivot axis along the second axis relative to the second supporting part, wherein the first drive unit includes a piezoelectric motor, and the second pivot axis crosses the distal end unit.