Future 3D Printers, No Axis Robotic Printing

[Larry]

I'm big into trending future technology. I always think about where a certain technology is headed in say 5-10 years. Ultimately 3D printing will be a major life changer for many, while disrupting uncountable industries around the world. With that said, I envision major changes with the way in which these printers function.

Current 3D Printers:
Right now the bulk of most 3D printers use 3 axes to move their extruder(s) to the correct area and print. This is severely limiting in how quickly something can be printed. It also confines the print to a certain size and area.

3D Printers in the next 5-10 Years
The way I see the technology evolving is in a way which will allow for much greater freedom. Instead of confining the extruder to the 3 axes, the extruder will eventually be placed on a robotic arm. That arm will be able to print at varying degrees and angles, and even work with 1, 2, or possibly 100 other printers at the same time in order to print a large items within minutes. The robotic arm could also have its own wheel base to enable it to move where ever the computer program tells it to. At computing power increases this will all be dictated by a sftware programs so that the item is printed in the quickest, most efficient way

We have seen such technology in its early stages with the MX3D printer already. I believe that by 2020 this type of 3D printing will be common place, and really light a fire within the industry. Opinions?

[old man emu]

There are already robotic arm milling machines similar in design to the one pictured. To convert them to 3D printers, all you have to do is replace milling heads, or plasma cutters etc. with extruders. Then you just need to modify the controller software to deal with feeding filament through the extruder, and to have the machine start working at Z = 0.

No biggy. Three hgours on a Friday afternoon.

Old Man Emu