Project News

KRAKEN Develops New Machine-Dispensable and Fast-Curing Polyurethane Paste

ALCHEMIX PU3720A/B is a machine-dispensable polyurethane paste, adapted to Additive Manufacturing. The two-component product has been specifically developed by Alchemie within the Kraken project. The material is particularly suitable for the manufacturing of Design/Styling or Master models. The formulation allows for the building of large prototype models within a footprint of 20m x 8m x 6m. The material has been designed to cure rapidly, allowing for a high deposition rate of 180Kg per hour, and once cured it can easily be machined to give a very smooth surface finish.

Technical and safety datasheets for the developed material have been created by Alchemie to provide all the required information for safe handling and processing of the material.



New Resin Extrusion Process Developed for KRAKEN

As part of the Kraken Project, a new dedicated resin extrusion process has been developed by AITIIP, the Spanish Technology Centre coordinating the project. The system consists of a pumping mechanism for the polyurethane paste (developed by Alchemie), a mechanism for balanced mixing, a deposition head and an automatic flow control. An important aspect of the system is that it is scalable and can be assembled in 3-axis machines and industrial robots, increasing the cost-effectiveness and competitiveness of the Additive Manufacturing of large parts. The Kraken dedicated extrusion machine, as modified by AITIIP, deposits material at 1-3 litres/min, which is around 200 times faster than a conventional Additive Manufacturing machine. In addition, the head can automatically switch from additive to subtractive and vice-versa.



Vision-Based Monitoring and Control System for Additive Manufacturing Processes

VBC is the project partner developing a Vision-based Monitoring and Control System (VMCS) for Additive Manufacturing processes. The system prototype was tested and validated in the AITIIP premises in Zaragoza, in July 2018.

The VMCS will be used for the early detection of all material deposition and process failures during KRAKEN's resin extrusion Additive Manufacturing process. The system comprises both hardware and software designed and developed by VBC. It includes high-definition 3D cameras, which complement a stereoscopic machine vision system, as well as image acquisition, processing and control software that is able to detect possible failures in the resin deposition robotic head. The system will alert the operator about errors and propose different corrective actions. Early failure detection and correction can lead to significant reductions in operator and machine time, material waste and total effort spent to 3D print different components and products. It will also increase the reliability and the overall competitiveness of Additive Manufacturing processes and products. 

Glaring issues detected as holes by the VMCS cameras (see depth stream on the upper left).