Additive manufacturing, the Internet of Things (IoT), and robotics are key pillars of Industry 4.0, enabling the creation of connected and intelligent manufacturing systems. Despite the development of robotic additive manufacturing, the field of open and low-cost extrusion head control solutions for industrial robots remains relatively unexplored. This study focuses on the design and development of an IoT-based control system for an extrusion unit used in robotic FDM/MEX additive manufacturing. The proposed approach utilizes a compact hardware architecture based on the Arduino platform, ensuring seamless integration of sensors and actuators and implementation of a real-time control algorithm. The control logic was implemented and experimentally verified on a robotic assembly with an ABB IRB 120 industrial robot, monitoring the stability of the hotend temperature, the consistency of the material flow, and the quality of the printed test geometries. The results confirm the feasibility of using low-cost IoT devices for precise control of robotic extrusion and demonstrate sufficient process repeatability for laboratory and research applications. The study also points to the potential for further development towards scalable and flexible solutions, with future research focusing on systematic control optimization, improved data connectivity, and architecture preparation for industrial deployment.
Science Journal 