Integrated Sensing Printhead (2024-11)¶

Materially optimized building components entail intricate geometries, necessitating the utilization of non-planar printpaths in 3D concrete printing (3DCP). Non-planar robotic 3D concrete printing (NP-3DCP) surpasses the capabilities of traditional planar 3DCP by enabling flexibility in orientation and layer height. In NP-3DCP, the filament's profile undergoes constant change, leading to challenges like unpredictable geometric deformation. To achieve successful and optimal print results, in-line monitoring of critical parameters is essential for live adaptation during the 3DCP process. However, existing research primarily focuses on data collection and monitoring for planar 3DCP with fixed layer height. While some of these methods can be adapted for monitoring NP-3DCP, they overlook the challenges inherent in NP-3DCP, such as variable layer heights requiring continuous extrusion rate adjustment as well as differing deformation conditions. This research will expand the field of data collection for 3DCP by extending the investigation into a data collection method tailored for non-planar 3DCP with curved printpaths. This will be accomplished through the development of a cost-effective measurement tool utilizing multiple 1D Time of Flight (ToF) sensors (Figure 1), along with the formulation of analytical methods and prototyping.