Design and integration of end-effector for 3D printing of novel UV-curable shape memory polymers with a collaborative robotic system

This paper presents the initial development of a robotic additive manufacturing technology based on ultraviolet (UV)-curable thermoset polymers. This is designed to allow free-standing printing through partial UV curing and fiber reinforcement for structural applications. The proposed system integrates a collaborative robotic manipulator with a custom-built extruder end-effector designed specifically for printing with UV-curable polymers. The system was tested using a variety of resin compositions, some reinforced with milled glass fiber (GF) or fumed silica (FS) and small-scale, 2D and 3D specimens were printed. Dimensional stability was analyzed for all formulations, showing that resin containing up to 50 wt% GF or at least 2.8 wt% FS displayed the most accurate dimensions.