Layer-free multi-axis toolpath software for robotic 3D
This technology is a software workflow that figures out the best way to 3D print an object using a robotic arm or multi-axis printer that can move in any direction — not just stacking flat layers on top of each other. By analyzing the object's geometry and structural requirements, the software generates printing paths that follow the natural stress lines of the part, reducing weak points and the need for support material. It then sequences those paths so the print head never crashes into already-printed sections. The result is stronger, more complex parts produced with less waste and fewer post-processing steps.
What you could build
A software tool or plugin for CAD/CAM environments that generates collision-free, structurally optimized toolpaths for multi-axis material extrusion printers; target buyers are aerospace and automotive manufacturers, defense contractors, and advanced manufacturing service bureaus investing in 6-axis robotic printing systems.
Who in Virginia should care
Defense primes and aerospace manufacturers in Northern Virginia and the Hampton Roads corridor — such as those supporting naval and aerospace programs — would have direct interest in stronger, geometry-optimized printed parts.
Readiness: Lab validated
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Joseph R. KUBALAK, Christopher B. WILLIAMS
- Filed
- Patent pending — filed November 15, 2022
- Status
- Application
- Publication number
- US20230182397A1
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.