Whether in the form of a net to catch prey or a protective cocoon, spiders and caterpillars can create amazing shapes with the help of their spinning threads. With the 3D Cocooner, we have developed a cutting-edge bionic technology solution that spins complex and stable shapes which are very similar to these natural structures.
In order to convert the soft thread into a solid lattice structure, it is covered with a special resin in the spinneret. As soon as it comes out of the spinneret, a UV light cures the resin-soaked fibre with pinpoint accuracy and hardens it into a small sturdy rod. During the process, the thread can be attached at any point on the lattice structure, where it continues to build. In this way, it is possible to construct even complex shapes in three-dimensional space without any supports.
The 3D Cocooner uses as its industrial robot a vertically mounted tripod of type EXT-45 . The high-speed handling system can be controlled quickly and precisely in a space, and its manoeuvrability makes it ideal for such a task. The parallel kinematic system receives the necessary position data and control signals directly from an animation software program which is used to generate the parameters for the 3D shape model for the desired structure.
In addition to the designed shape model, the entire handling system is also stored visually in the program. This allows the complete path planning to be calculated here live, visually simulated and transferred to the actual travel paths of the parallel kinematic system without any intermediate steps. This direct path from the design tool to the production tool is very unusual in the current production environment. It is, however, an important prerequisite for customised manufacturing in the future.