From cable robot to active structure: application to additive manufacturing – CABTIVE

The development potential of additive manufacturing (AM) in the coming years is very important, especially in the fields of aeronautics and medicine. This process, the mastery and development of which are at the heart of the challenges of the Industry of the Future, is expected to increase in productivity and in the quality of the parts produced. Fully constrained Cable Driven Parallel Robots (CDPRs) can be adapted to the AM of medium or large parts in the absence of strong mechanical loading such as in machining. In this project, we challenge ourselves to increase the accuracy of CDPR trajectory tracking in AM. Our goal is to develop CDPRs with a level of static and dynamic performance that meets the AM quality and high productivity requirements. The CABTIVE project adopts an innovative approach by addressing the mastery of the AM process by CDPRs from the perspective of the control / command of "active structures" with variable geometry and static and dynamic stiffness.
The project will be led by three partners. IP is recognized for its activities in production robotics and manufacturing processes. LaMCoS brings its expertise in modeling, design of structures and active machines, in particular for the control of vibrations by means of electric actuators of various kinds LIRMM is recognized for its expertise in control as well as in design and CDPR applications.
The CABTIVE project is structured in four work packages over 48 months (excluding management and communication) associated with two theses, a post-doc and a research engineer. It covers TRL indices from 1 to 4. A target demonstrator able to produce 3D printed parts is envisaged, by integrating the technologies to be developed in perception, planning and control, and active control. This work will build on the experimental platforms of the three partners.