From CAD to a reviewable multi-axis toolpath workflow.
Multi-axis additive manufacturing unlocks geometries that 3-axis printers cannot reach. But the software hasn't kept up. Preparing a single complex part for a 5-axis or robotic system still takes days of manual work, deep specialist knowledge, and repeated trial-and-error prints. Flexam changes that.
The problem.
Most slicing software was designed for 3-axis gantry printers with a limited set of printing strategies. Multi-axis systems (5-axis machines, 6-axis robotic arms) create a much larger planning space that conventional tools do not consistently navigate without specialist input.
The result: engineers manually select slicing approaches, configure over 200 interdependent parameters, and physically print the part to verify. It routinely takes two to five attempts to get an acceptable result. Days or weeks are consumed before production even begins.
This isn't just a problem for small shops. Large manufacturers face the same bottleneck. They depend on a handful of deep specialists, and those specialists cannot scale fast enough to meet growing demand for customized, high-performance parts.
What we are developing.
A configurable research pipeline that analyses a 3D model, proposes region strategies and generates reviewable multi-axis toolpaths for a defined machine, process and workflow. The resulting output still requires machine-specific validation before execution.
Ingest STL or STEP files. Automatically detect overhangs, thin walls, curvature, flat surfaces, and other critical features across the entire model.
Partition the part into distinct print regions based on geometry. No manual splits, no hand-tuned rules. The software determines where strategy boundaries belong.
For each region, software can recommend candidate slicing strategies (planar, conformal, non-planar, conical, or helical) based on the geometry and available process data.
Generate candidate toolpaths for a defined 5-axis machine or 6-axis robotic setup, including the available collision, reachability and transition checks for that workflow.
Prepare a motion program and versioned process log for engineering review, simulation where available, and machine-specific validation.
Where process data is available, reviewed results can be fed back into the workflow to improve future strategy recommendations.
The intended impact.
The goal is to reduce repeated manual preparation, make expert decisions inspectable, and shorten iteration for complex multi-axis workflows. The achieved result depends on the target machine, process, material and validation scope.
This research informs Flexam's configurable platform. Individual capabilities are introduced and validated for the defined workflow rather than assumed to transfer unchanged across machines and processes.
Specs.
- Hardware
- 5-axis printers, 6-axis robotic arms, multi-axis industrial systems
- Input formats
- STL, STEP, OBJ
- Pipeline
- Geometric analysis → segmentation → ML strategy selection → multi-axis toolpath → motion program
- Strategies
- Planar, conformal, non-planar, conical, helical, and an extensible library
- Funding
- Supported by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) under Basisprogramm #63496936
Ready to automate your multi-axis workflow?
Send us your machine kinematics and a part file. We'll show you what the pipeline produces.