"Barriers to Entry" for Large-Format Additive Manufacturing

Desktop-scale 3D printing has become ubiquitous in many industries today. As this growth continues, the demand for ever-larger printed parts has increased exponentially. The move to large-format additive manufacturing (AM[ad1] ) is not as simple as just scaling up. Large-format AM delivers a whole new set of challenges not widely understood by the average designer or engineer. In this class, we will demonstrate how to create 3D-printing toolpaths in Fusion 360 software for both typical desktop-scale 3D prints, and large-scale robot-based printing using the new Fusion 360 robot post processor. We will compare and contrast these two workflows and discuss the additional strategies necessary for successful large-format AM. To close the class, we will summarize the three major categories of difficulties faced and how to mitigate them when moving into large-format additive: access to software tools and simulation solutions; process physics and material properties; and machine selection and equipment.