Calibration and compensation of 5-axis 3D-printers for printed electronics

Abstract

5-axis 3D printing presents a promising approach to overcome the limitations of traditional 3-axis methods, particularly in the domain of printed electronics where conformal conductive connections are printed onto the surface of freeform objects. However, this additional freedom comes with a demand for high positioning accuracy, as the rotary movements amplify small axis deviations through the lever effect. This paper presents an approach for an automatically self-calibrating low-cost 5-axis printing system using a built-in 3D touch probe. The calibration data is used to generate a precise kinematic printer model in the Unified Robot Description Format (URDF). Our inverse kinematic solver uses this model in our pathplanning software to generate fully compensated G-code trajectories, maintaining the correct position without needing an expensive high-precision motion system. First results are presented as evaluation which were printed on our low-cost 5-axis system with 3D-printed rotary axes, demonstrating the capability to reliably print circuits on imprecise hardware. The calibration process can be executed quickly and automatically every time the printer is restarted. This approach makes multi-axis 3D printing more accessible and increases potential uses, leading to more precise and cost-effective manufacturing solutions.