Design, Implementation and Long-Term Running Experiences of the Cable-Driven Parallel Robot CaRo Printer

Abstract

Additive manufacturing has attracted a lot of attention in the recent years as it allows to effectively manufacture objects with complex shape in batch size one. Extrusion-based additive processes employ manipulators, such as robots, to move the printing head along a predefined path. This paper deals with the design, implementation, and experimental evaluation of a new cable-driven parallel robot for additive manufacturing called CaRo printer. We compare the proposed robot structure with other cable robots and present technical details of the evaluation. Technical details on the mechanical and controller design are given. A special focus is laid on practical aspects and observations made from long-term operation of the demonstrator. We present measured data from the long-term operation at the exhibition.