The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $274,579 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project grant under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) program. The grant was awarded on August 15, 2024 to Variables Machines Company to develop a reconfigurable additive manufacturing print bed composed of an array of linear actuators. This technology aims to drastically reduce the cost, lead time, and material waste associated with large format additive manufacturing processes used across industries like aerospace, renewable energy, automotive, and maritime. The project entails designing the reconfigurable print bed, developing embedded and control software, and integrating the technology with existing additive and subtractive manufacturing platforms. Key research will focus on non-planar slicing and control algorithms to enable part printing without the need for support structures. This innovation is expected to save manufacturers $1.1M in annual material costs while requiring 30% less capital expenditure compared to current large format additive technologies.
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