Swarm 3D printing

Short description: Manufacturing using a swarm of mobile robots

Swarm 3D printing or cooperative 3D printing[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] or swarm manufacturing[9][10][11] is a digital manufacturing platform that employs a swarm of mobile robots with different functionalities to work together to print and assemble products based on digital designs. A digital design is first divided into smaller chunks and components based on its geometry and functions, which are then assigned to different specialized robots for printing and assembly in parallel and in sequence based on the dependency of the tasks.[12][13]

The robots typically move freely on an open factory floor, or through the air, and could carry different tool heads. Some common tool heads include material deposition tool heads (e.g., filament extruder, inkjet printhead), pick and place tool head for embedding of pre-manufactured components, laser cutter, welding tool, etc. In some cases, operations are managed by artificial intelligence algorithms, increasingly prevalent with larger swarms or more complex robots, which require elements of autonomy to work together effectively. While in its early stage of development, swarm 3D printing is currently being commercialized by startup companies. According to Additive Manufacturing Magazine,[14] AMBOTS[15] is credited with creating the first end-to-end solution for cooperative 3D printing. Using the Rapid Induction Printing metal additive manufacturing process, Rosotics[16] was the first company to demonstrate swarm 3D printing using a metallic payload, and the only to achieve metallic 3D printing from an airborne platform.[17]

## See also

* Ant robotics
* Autonomous agents
* Behavior-based robotics
* Flocking (behavior)
* Kilobot
* List of emerging technologies
* Microbotics
* Multi-agent system
* Nanorobotics
* Nanotechnology in fiction
* Physicomimetics
* Robotic materials
* Shooting Star (drone)
* Swarm intelligence
* Swarm robotic platforms
* Unmanned aerial vehicle/Quadcopter

## References

1. ↑ Poudel, Laxmi; Blair, Chandler; McPherson, Jace; Sha, Zhenghui; Zhou, Wenchao (2020-08-01). "A Heuristic Scaling Strategy for Multi-Robot Cooperative Three-Dimensional Printing" (in en). Journal of Computing and Information Science in Engineering 20 (4). doi:10.1115/1.4045143. ISSN 1530-9827. https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/computingengineering/article/doi/10.1115/1.4045143/1065514/A-Heuristic-Scaling-Strategy-for-MultiRobot.
2. ↑ Poudel, Laxmi; Zhou, Wenchao; Sha, Zhenghui (2020-12-01). "A Generative Approach for Scheduling Multi-Robot Cooperative Three-Dimensional Printing" (in en). Journal of Computing and Information Science in Engineering 20 (6). doi:10.1115/1.4047261. ISSN 1530-9827. https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/computingengineering/article/20/6/061011/1083945/A-Generative-Approach-for-Scheduling-Multi-Robot.
3. ↑ Poudel, Laxmi; Zhou, Wenchao; Sha, Zhenghui (2021-07-01). "Resource-Constrained Scheduling for Multi-Robot Cooperative Three-Dimensional Printing" (in en). Journal of Mechanical Design 143 (7). doi:10.1115/1.4050380. ISSN 1050-0472. https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/mechanicaldesign/article/143/7/072002/1102944/Resource-Constrained-Scheduling-for-Multi-Robot.
4. ↑ Stone, Ronnie F. P.; Ebert, Matthew; Zhou, Wenchao; Akleman, Ergun; Krishnamurthy, Vinayak; Sha, Zhenghui (2025-06-01). "SafeZone*: A Graph-Based and Time-Optimal Cooperative 3D Printing Framework" (in en). Journal of Computing and Information Science in Engineering 25 (6). doi:10.1115/1.4068117. ISSN 1530-9827. https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/computingengineering/article/25/6/061004/1213608/SafeZone-A-Graph-Based-and-Time-Optimal.
5. ↑ "Traveling cellsman: Partition-cluster co-parameterization for multi-robot cooperative 3D printing" (in en-US). Additive Manufacturing 112. 2025-08-25. doi:10.1016/j.addma.2025.104987. ISSN 2214-8604. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214860425003513.
6. ↑ Ebert, Matthew; Stone, Ronnie F. P.; Koithan, John; Zhou, Wenchao; Pharr, Matt; Estrin, Yuri; Akleman, Ergun; Sha, Zhenghui et al. (2025-06-01). "NoodlePrint: Cooperative Multi-Robot Additive Manufacturing With Helically Interlocked Tiles" (in en). Journal of Manufacturing Science and Engineering 147 (6). doi:10.1115/1.4067617. ISSN 1087-1357. https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/manufacturingscience/article/147/6/061002/1211191/NoodlePrint-Cooperative-Multi-Robot-Additive.
7. ↑ Poudel, Laxmi; Sha, Zhenghui; Zhou, Wenchao (2018-01-01). "Mechanical strength of chunk-based printed parts for cooperative 3D printing". Procedia Manufacturing. 46th SME North American Manufacturing Research Conference, NAMRC 46, Texas, USA 26: 962–972. doi:10.1016/j.promfg.2018.07.123. ISSN 2351-9789. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351978918307996.
8. ↑ Zhang, Ziyang; Poudel, Laxmi; Sha, Zhenghui; Zhou, Wenchao; Wu, Dazhong (2020-04-01). "Data-Driven Predictive Modeling of Tensile Behavior of Parts Fabricated by Cooperative 3D Printing" (in en). Journal of Computing and Information Science in Engineering 20 (2). doi:10.1115/1.4045290. ISSN 1530-9827. https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/computingengineering/article/doi/10.1115/1.4045290/1066029/Data-Driven-Predictive-Modeling-of-Tensile.
9. ↑ Poudel, Laxmi; Marques, Lucas Galvan; Williams, Robert Austin; Hyden, Zachary; Guerra, Pablo; Fowler, Oliver Luke; Sha, Zhenghui; Zhou, Wenchao (2022-08-01). "Toward Swarm Manufacturing: Architecting a Cooperative 3D Printing System" (in en). Journal of Manufacturing Science and Engineering 144 (8). doi:10.1115/1.4053681. ISSN 1087-1357. https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/manufacturingscience/article/144/8/081004/1133486/Toward-Swarm-Manufacturing-Architecting-a.
10. ↑ Wu, Rencheng; Tushar, Nahid; Hyden, Zachary; Shou, Wan; Sha, Zhenghui; Zhou, Wenchao (2026-03-05). "Heterogeneous swarm manufacturing: a framework and proof-of-concept study" (in en). The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology. doi:10.1007/s00170-025-17055-9. ISSN 1433-3015.
11. ↑

* For the swarm 3D printing, see Ackerman, Evan (28 August 2018). "Mobile Robots Cooperate to 3D Print Large Structures". https://spectrum.ieee.org/mobile-robots-cooperate-to-3d-print-structures.
* O'Neal, Bridget (2 March 2019). "University of Arkansas: Research Group Delegates 3D Printing Duties to Their Swarm of Robots". https://3dprint.com/237475/university-arkansas-researchers-delegate-3d-printing-duties-swarm-of-robots/.
* Oxman, Neri, Jorge Duro‐Royo, Steven Keating, Ben Peters, and Elizabeth Tsai. "Towards robotic swarm printing." Architectural Design 84, no. 3 (2014): 108-115.
* For the swarm manufacturing, see "AMBOTS Brings Autonomous Collaboration to Manufacturing". 27 March 2019. https://all3dp.com/4/ambots-brings-autonomous-collaboration-manufacturing/.
* "Siemens Contemplating "Swarm" 3D Printing?". https://www.fabbaloo.com/blog/2017/4/15/siemens-contemplating-swarm-3d-printing.
* For the cooperative 3D printing, see "Robots, Assemble! A New Path to Autonomous Mobile 3D Printing". https://www.additivemanufacturing.media/articles/robots-assemble-a-new-path-to-autonomous-mobile-3d-printing.

12. ↑ "The Chunker "chunk-based slicer" proposed for cobot 3D printing". 16 October 2018. https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/the-chunker-chunk-based-slicer-proposed-for-cobot-3d-printing-141602/.
13. ↑ Saunders, Sarah (21 December 2018). "Thesis Focuses on Using Cooperative 3D Printing with Robots to Improve the Technology's Scalability". https://3dprint.com/232301/cooperative-3d-printing-with-robots-to-improve-scalability/.
14. ↑ "Robots, Assemble! A New Path to Autonomous Mobile 3D Printing". https://www.additivemanufacturing.media/articles/robots-assemble-a-new-path-to-autonomous-mobile-3d-printing.
15. ↑ "AMBOTS". https://www.ambots.net/.
16. ↑ "Rosotics - Solving Industry's Largest Problems". https://www.rosotics.com/.
17. ↑ "Technology". 25 July 2020. https://www.rosotics.com/technology/.

## External links

* Fully decentralized robotic swarm performing collective search and exploration -- Applied Complexity Group and Motion, Energy Control Lab at SUTD
* Swarm-bots: Swarms of self-assembling artifacts -- EU IST-FET project (2001-2005)

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Swarming

Biological swarming|

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Swarm algorithms|

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Collective motion|

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Swarm robotics|

* Ant robotics
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Related topics|

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Main articles|

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Locomotion|

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Research|

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Fields|

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Architecture|

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Biomedical|

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Displays|

| Next generation|

* FED
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Screenless|

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Other|

* Autostereoscopy
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* Multi-primary color display
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Electronics|

* Electronic nose
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Energy|

| Production|

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Storage|

* Beltway battery
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Other|

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Information and
communications

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Manufacturing|

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Materials science|

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Neuroscience|

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Robotics|

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Space science|

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Propulsion|

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Other|

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Transport|

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Land|

* Airless tire
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Pipeline|

* Pneumatic transport
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Other|

* Anti-gravity
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Topics|

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