Passive Vibration Control of a 3-D Printer Gantry

TL;DR

This paper presents a passive vibration control method for a 3-D printer gantry using a spring-mass-damper system, improving printing accuracy by reducing vibration-induced errors during high-speed printing.

Contribution

It introduces a passive vibration control approach with an optimized spring-mass-damper system for FFF 3-D printers, expanding existing dynamic models for better vibration mitigation.

Findings

Reduced vibration-induced position errors during high-speed printing.

Demonstrated effectiveness of passive control in a case study.

Provided recommendations for implementing passive vibration control in similar systems.

Abstract

Improved additive manufacturing capabilities are vital for the future development and improvement of ubiquitous robotic systems. These machines can be integrated into existing robotic systems to allow manufacturing and repair of components, as well as fabrication of custom parts for the robots themselves. The fused filament fabrication (FFF) process is one of the most common and well-developed AM processes but suffers from the effects of vibration-induced position error, particularly as the printing speed is raised. This project adapted and expanded a dynamic model of an FFF gantry system to include a passive spring-mass-damper system controller attached to the extruder carriage and tuned using optimal parameters. A case study was conducted to demonstrate the effects and generate recommendations for implementation. This work is also valuable for other mechatronic systems which operate using an open-loop control system and which suffer from vibration, including numerous robotic systems, pick-and-place machines, positioners, and similar.