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Manager   •   over 10 years ago

Project Idea: Parametric Manufacturing

There is a parametric data discontinuity between CAD and CAM packages. Parametric tools like HAL, which allows for robotic arm programming within the Grasshopper environment, have begun to address this issue but by and large models must be exported out of design platforms and imported into manufacturing platforms, making design changes costly. This project could look at a number of ways to tap into manufacturing outputs like 3D printing, laser cutting, CNC machining, robotic materials handling, etc. through open data formats, conventional machine code post-processing like G-Code and turtle commands (think Silkworm), and manufacturing platform APIs and SDKs.

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  •   •   over 10 years ago

    For what it's worth, I developed a WIP KRL source code writer for additive manufacturing. I'm leveraging Rhino/Grasshopper and Kuka|prc for brep/mesh manipulation and slicing. In most cases the output is augmented by my personal C++ library. You can see how it's implemented for fabrication on my devpost portfolio page.

    I'm also working on a stadium project that could benefit from the direct to G-Code approach. Liability issues aside, generating 50,000 .dxf's seems like an absolute waste.

  • Manager   •   over 10 years ago

    Hi James - I think that exploring a direct-to-G-Code approach would potentially make a good 1-day exercise. Perhaps we could visualize the results in an open-source printer interface app like Printerface https://github.com/w-A-L-L-e/printerface

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