Deep beneath the ocean’s floor lies a world that’s unpredictable, pressurized, and profoundly unexplored. It’s a realm the place standard engineering is usually pushed to its breaking level — and the place firms like Framework Robotics are rewriting the principles of design and manufacturing.
Headquartered within the U.S., Framework Robotics builds rugged unmanned underwater automobiles (UUVs) for duties like marine analysis, offshore inspection, and environmental monitoring. These machines face situations which might be downright punishing: freezing temperatures, crushing pressures, saltwater corrosion, and the necessity to carry out with near-perfect reliability.
Unmanned underwater automobile. Picture courtesy of Framework Robotics.
Historically, constructing UUVs has meant counting on machined aluminum and different supplies that, whereas sturdy, include tradeoffs: lengthy lead occasions, complicated meeting processes, and design limitations that hinder innovation. However Framework Robotics noticed a special path — one which concerned transferring past subtractive manufacturing and into the world of additive.
Designing for the Deep, Printing for the Future
Framework Robotics started incorporating industrial 3D printing into their growth course of — not only for prototyping, however for producing last, mission-critical elements. The shift opened new doorways.
They selected HP’s Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) expertise for its capacity to ship light-weight, extremely sturdy plastic elements with precision. The supplies used with MJF not solely stood as much as the extreme calls for of ocean deployment — together with resistance to water and strain — but in addition enabled extra complicated geometries that might have been tough or unattainable to machine.
Buddy ROV for underwater upkeep. Picture courtesy of Framework Robotics.
This new flexibility gave the workforce at Framework Robotics an opportunity to rethink how UUVs could possibly be constructed. As an alternative of designing across the limitations of conventional manufacturing, they may now design round operate. Enclosures, mounts, and cable routing options could possibly be built-in into single, seamless elements. This meant fewer fasteners, much less room for mechanical failure, and a quicker construct time.
Velocity, Effectivity, and Freedom to Iterate
Some of the highly effective shifts got here within the prototyping part. With Multi Jet Fusion, Framework Robotics may design, print, take a look at, and redesign — generally in the identical week. That form of agility was unprecedented with metallic machining, the place a single iteration may take weeks and price hundreds.
Unmanned underwater automobile. Picture courtesy of Framework Robotics.
For a small firm with an enormous mission, velocity issues. It allowed them to get practical prototypes in entrance of researchers and area testers quicker, and it introduced them nearer to their purpose: delivering a platform that could possibly be custom-made shortly for various underwater missions, from inspecting submerged infrastructure to gathering organic knowledge.
It additionally made scaling simpler. With 3D printing, there’s no want for costly tooling or minimal order portions. Framework Robotics can print the precise variety of elements they want — whether or not it’s 5 models or fifty — with no penalty for modifications or updates.
Navigating What’s Subsequent
As ocean analysis and exploration evolve, the necessity for adaptable, high-performance robotic techniques will solely develop. Framework Robotics is already looking forward to extra autonomous techniques, smarter sensors, and deeper dives into the longer term.
And whereas they’re navigating uncharted territory underwater, their manufacturing course of is turning into extra streamlined, extra environment friendly, and extra revolutionary above the floor — thanks partially to HP’s Multi Jet Fusion expertise.
Companion ROTV for pipeline and submarine cable commentary. Picture courtesy of Framework Robotics.
What began as an engineering experiment has become a manufacturing benefit. Framework Robotics isn’t simply constructing robots that go deeper — they’re proving that additive manufacturing is usually a aggressive edge, even in probably the most excessive environments on Earth.
Learn extra about their journey on hp.com.
Subscribe to Our E mail E-newsletter
Keep up-to-date on all the newest information from the 3D printing trade and obtain info and provides from third celebration distributors.
Add your 3D Fashions and get them printed shortly and effectively.
