Our Cooperative Robotic Additive Manufacturing (CRAM) system advances 3D printing through coordinated robotic arms and a real-time digital twin. Developed by CSE Team 29 and ECE Team 22, this project addresses limitations of traditional gantry-based 3D printers, such as fixed build volumes, slow layer-by-layer deposition, and restricted geometries. Using two robotic arms, CRAM enables faster fabrication and nonplanar deposition for large complex prints. The ECE team develops a custom slicer for nonplanar toolpaths, allowing robotic arms to navigate intricate geometries, and designs motion planning algorithms to prevent collisions in shared workspaces. The CSE team handles part decomposition to assign subparts to individual arms, builds a digital twin for real-time monitoring and control, and integrates sensor data, including thermal imaging, for feedback and optimization. Built on ROS2, RViz, and Rerun, our platform streamlines operations and enhances print precision. CRAM aims to improves surface quality, part strength, and manufacturing speed, enabling new possibilities for advanced additive manufacturing. This system highlights the potential of cooperative robotics and digital twins to enhance production processes.

Our team collaborated with Electrical and Computer Engineering 22 on this project.