Perm Engineers Develop Robot for Vacuum Laser Metal Deposition
The developers say the technology could open new possibilities for additive manufacturing.
Engineers in the Russian city of Perm are developing a robotic system for laser metal deposition in a vacuum environment. The project is being carried out by Promobot in partnership with IxWeld and Perm Polytechnic University. The developers say the effort goes far beyond adapting existing equipment for a new task and instead represents a fully original engineering platform. The system combines a robotic platform, specialized software, a control system, and equipment designed for additive manufacturing in vacuum conditions.
The project is built around the Promobot M13 manipulator. Engineers upgraded both the software and the control systems, resulting in a new interface capable of handling operations in real time.
Such interfaces are used in only a limited number of industrial systems because of the strict requirements for software stability and synchronization between robotic movements and manufacturing parameters. The developers say the new platform could enable more advanced applications in additive manufacturing, robotic welding, and hybrid industrial systems.
