On the occasion of the FORMNEXT 2024 fair in Frankfurt, the international event dedicated to additive manufacturing held from November 19 to 22, Indexlab – Politecnico di Milano, in collaboration with eXgineering and Gimac, presents its latest research in the field of large-scale robotic additive manufacturing. Showcased are four projects that combine innovations in design, processes, and products, with applications in the fields of architecture, design, and industrial production: Superframe Cobra, OneLineTwoCoils, New01bike, and HoloArmor.

Cobra is the installation that, for the first time, showcases the use of the Superframe system to discretize a double-curved surface into quadrangular panels. The Superframe system’s uniqueness lies in the connections between the panels, which are formed by 3D-printed structural frames attached to the back of the panels. These frames serve as both the joints and the structural support, seamlessly integrating the components into a unified whole.

Superframe addresses a key technical challenge: the torsions and stresses typically encountered when approximating curved surfaces. This is achieved through advanced material extrusion technology, which prints the frames along paths designed to accommodate and resolve these distortions.

The system is produced using RAM (Robotic Additive Moulding), a process that employs recycled plastic to create 3D-printed frames, making it an innovative and sustainable solution. These frames can be paired with any cladding material, whether for interior or exterior applications, offering limitless design possibilities.

The One Line Two Coils armchair, designed by Ron Arad, showcases how robotic additive manufacturing can transform furniture design. It introduces a novel approach to producing double-curved, complex geometries that are traditionally challenging and costly to manufacture. 

The One Line Two Coils armchair is produced in conformal printing by eXgineering and Indexlab, using an industrial robot, and a Gimac extruder as end-effector. The nozzle has a diameter of 5mm, extrudes a blend of post-industrial recycled polycarbonate pellets and 30% short carbon fiber. The adaptive layer height 3D printing technique allows to create a layer variation from 0.15mm to 3.3mm, with which to produce the variable geometry of the chair, which is printed on a reusable mould, also 3D printed. The double-curvature of the chair makes it complex and very expensive if not impossible to produce it using an injection molding technique, while through robotic 3D printing production costs are considerably reduced and the material can be recycled up to 4 times for the same chair without losing its mechanical characteristics.

Currently on display at the Design Museum in Munich (Pinakothek der Moderne) as part of a selection of 70 bicycles spanning from the late 1800s to 2022 (THE BICYCLE CULT OBJECT – DESIGN OBJECT), New01bike represents the latest evolutionary link in the history of the bicycle. It exemplifies how design, technology, and materials combine to create a contemporary product that is in line with the most advanced design and production techniques.

HoloArmor is an advanced wearable device developed specifically for use in 3D printing industrial settings, designed to enhance safety and efficiency through its seamless integration of innovative materials and technologies.

Equipped with IMU sensors and integrated with a vision-based tracking system, HoloArmor captures precise human posture and movement data, utilizing digital twin models of robotic arms to calculate spatial relationships. This enables its chest-mounted array of eight haptic actuators to deliver directional and distance-based tactile warnings in real time. Additionally, its onboard gas sensors monitor critical environmental parameters, including CO₂, VOCs, PM2.5, PM10, CO, temperature, and humidity, providing immediate hazard detection. Looking ahead, HoloArmor aims to incorporate radiation detection, fatigue monitoring, physiological analysis, and predictive risk assessment, establishing a new standard in intelligent safety solutions for industrial human-robot collaboration.