The use of 3D printing is widely increasing in the manufacturing industry. It is not only replacing old techniques, but also aids in producing new products with new material properties. To aid the integration of 3D printing into the next industrial movement, this project aims to create a smarter 3D printer that is autonomous, adaptable, efficient, reliable and has functionality. The addition of these features transforms the 3D printer into a Cyber-Physical System. A Cyber-Physical System integrates the physical and computational world in order to interact with its environment and solve complex problems.
Designing a Cyber-Physical System involves creating an architecture for the entire system comprising of numerous cyber and physical components. A cyber-twin model for each component within the architecture is required for simulation and data storage. This project focuses on creating the cyber-twin model for a 3D printer that in future will easily integrate into an architecture.
To create the cyber-twin model for the 3D printer, a protocol named MTConnect was utilised to help provide a universal language between different machinery. MTConnect requires the development of an application, which allows the operator to remotely control and monitor the 3D printer through a Wi-Fi network. As a foundation, a pre-existing incomplete software that provided a cloud platform for remote communication was used, and additional functionalities were added as required.
Undergraduate
1. A Cyber-physical 3D Printing System;
2. A possible patent based on the system..
Micro-controller programming
3D printing
Mechatronics Design & Build (201.553, Lab)