Rotary axis calculation for five-axis FDM printer using a point-fitting optimization method

This paper presents an optimization method to compute the rotary axes of a 5-axis FDM printer whose A-and C-axes have large deviations relative to the x-and z-directions.The optimization model is designed according to the kinematic model in which a point rotates around a spatial line in the machine coordinate system of the printer.The model considers the A-and C-axes as two spatial lines.It is a two-object optimization model including two aspects.One is that the sum of deviations between the measured and computed points should be small;the other is that the deviations should be uniformly distributed for every measured point.A comparison of the new optimization method with conventional error-compensation methods reveals that the former has higher location accuracy.Using the optimized AC axes,5-axis 3D printing paths are planned for some complex workpieces.Data analysis and printing samples show that the optimized AC axes satisfy 5-axes FDM printing requirements for nozzles with a diameter of 1.0 mm.