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Robotic Digital Fabrication

Robotic Solutionsfor Hybrid Manufacturing

Custom digital fabrication solutions built on industrial robots

BAT Partners Inc. develops custom digital fabrication solutions built around articulated industrial robots. Centered on robotic additive processes, our work opens up new applications across manufacturing, construction, design, art and other creative fields.

View projects
  • 01WAAM
  • 023D Printing

01Vision & Mission

Accuracy, freedom of motion, scale and hybrid processing

Additive manufacturing is drawing attention across many fields, and industrial robots extend its reach further through their strengths: accuracy, freedom of motion, scale and hybrid processing. BAT identifies and implements effective applications for robotic additive manufacturing, and develops control software that end users from diverse backgrounds, including engineers, designers and artists, can put to work directly.

02Services

GERTY systems and fabrication

Consulting, delivery, operator training and technical support for clients who want a robotic fabrication system or parts made by robotic fabrication.

Service 01

Integrated Solution

Robot hardware and GERTY software, delivered as one

For clients who want to run robotic fabrication themselves, we deliver ABB robot hardware and GERTY software as one solution, with operator training and technical support.

  1. 01. Consultation

    We review your application, materials, geometry and scale with you, and recommend the right robotic process: WAAM or 3D printing.

  2. 02. System configuration

    We design the core hardware configuration, including the ABB robot and positioner (6+2 axes), end-effectors and control box. Peripheral components beyond the essentials are adjusted to suit each project.

  3. 03. Delivery & installation

    We deliver and install the hardware and GERTY software as one integrated solution.

  4. 04. Training & support

    We provide operator training and technical support, and continue to support GERTY users through the online documentation.

Service 02

On-demand Fabrication

Robotic fabrication to order, no equipment needed

Without investing in equipment, have parts, structures and artworks made to order on BAT's robotic fabrication systems.

  1. 01. Consultation & review

    We review the geometry, materials, size, quantity and schedule of what you want to make.

  2. 02. Robotic fabrication

    We fabricate the parts ourselves on BAT's industrial robotic fabrication systems.

  3. 03. Inspection & delivery

    We inspect the result and deliver it.

03Solutions

Hybrid processing with industrial robots

Hardware and software solutions for hybrid processing with industrial robots, built on additive manufacturing (AM).

  • Wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) is a metal additive manufacturing solution that combines industrial robots with arc welding technology.

    Pairing the freedom of motion and wide working envelope of an industrial robot with the versatility and speed of arc welding, it is well suited to medium- and large-scale metal deposition.

    System components

    • ABB industrial robot + positioner (6+2 axes)
    • ABB ArcWare / SmarTac torch sensor
    • Fronius CMT power source
    • Fronius push-pull wire feed system
    • Workbench and clamping accessories
    • Manual quick changers
    • Robot DressPack
    • GERTY WAAM control package
    Robotic WAAM system configuration
    Robotic WAAM System

    Applications

Partners

Partners and clients

  • ABB
  • Hyundai Engineering
  • Hyundai Rotem
  • B.E.S.T F.A
  • KAMIC 3D Printing Manufacturing Innovation Center
  • Plan.H
  • Tech Capsule
  • University of Seoul Architecture
  • K-ARTS
  • art collider
  • Seoultech School of Architecture
  • Hongik School of Architecture

04Projects

Projects using our robotic solutions

Robotic fabrication and engineering projects, from custom fabrication with robotic processes to robot toolpath programming and fabrication testbeds.

05Software

GERTY

GERTY is an OLP/CAM software framework for industrial robots that runs as a plugin for Rhino and Grasshopper. It covers the whole offline programming workflow on one platform: toolpath generation matched to the robot arm and external axes, motion simulation and robot program generation.

GERTY
Platform
Rhino · Grasshopper
Robots
ABB (Primary support) · KUKA (Compatible) · Hyundai (Compatible) · Doosan (Compatible)
GERTY simulating robot arm and positioner motion in the Rhino viewport

01 / 07

Parametric Robot Control

Rhino · Grasshopper · OLP/CAM

Installed as a plugin for Rhino and Grasshopper, GERTY runs the entire workflow, from design to robot motion programming to fabrication, within a single CAD environment. Toolpath generation, robot targets, simulation and program output are all linked as Grasshopper components, so any change to a design parameter is immediately reflected in the robot motion.

02 / 07

Slicing Toolpath

Surface Slicing · Solid Slicing

Slices surface and solid geometry to generate the additive toolpaths 3D printing requires, including outer walls, infill and supports. Layer height and width, first-layer shift, seam position, and infill pattern and angle are all adjustable as Grasshopper component parameters.

Anti-overhang slicing in which the slice-layer inclination changes with the Tilting Weight value

03 / 07

Anti-Overhang Toolpath

Tilting Weight · Non-Planar · Reinforcement Layers

Non-planar slicing tilts each slice layer to follow the slope of the geometry according to the Tilting Weight value, generating additive toolpaths with reduced overhang even on inclined forms. Reinforcement toolpaths are added repeatedly at intervals specified for each overhang-angle range across the geometry. In cells equipped with a 2-axis positioner, anti-overhang deposition control using the external axes can also be applied.

04 / 07

Adaptive Tool Orientation

Dynamic Control · TCP Rotating / Tilting / Re-Orientation

Whenever the workpiece position or geometry, or a toolpath's target planes, change, GERTY recalculates the robot motion interactively. Dynamic control rotates one or more external axes in sync with the robot so that each target on the toolpath is aligned with a specified TCP direction vector. TCP rotation, tilt and re-orientation can also be adjusted, so optimized robot programs can be produced quickly.

05 / 07

External Axis Control

Static Control · Single / Multi Axis · CPlane

Simulates and controls complex robot cells that include external axes such as 2-axis positioners and linear tracks. When the work area is divided into zones, each with its own reference plane (CPlane), GERTY calculates the external-axis pose so that the TCP approaches every zone from a consistent direction. This static control method, which works zone by zone with the external-axis pose held fixed, applies to configurations from a single-axis positioner to multi-axis setups.

Fly-by toolpaths applied between weld paths and between Pick & Place targets

06 / 07

Fly-by Toolpath

Approach / Retract · Continuity · Pick & Place

Generates fly-by toolpaths that link one working path to the next. Approach and retract directions and distances, along with curvature-continuity conditions, are set as parameters to smoothly connect repetitive moves such as travel between weld paths or between Pick & Place targets.

GERTY robot simulation working on the same printed part as the physical industrial robot

07 / 07

Data Sync Controller

LAN / WAN · RAPID · Tool / Wobj / I/O Data

GERTY connects to multiple robot controllers over LAN / WAN. It exchanges RAPID code, tool, work object (wobj) and I/O data, MOC configuration, and robot and external-axis data with the controllers, and can scan the tool data registered on an ABB controller and import it directly as tool definitions in Grasshopper.

Support

Documentation

The GERTY documentation covers the plugin's components, features and usage in detail.

Read the documentation (opens in a new tab)

06Contact

Tell us about the project you want to build

Have a question about our solutions or services? Click Contact us below and tell us about your project.

contact@b-at.kr

Call us +82 32 512 2182

Inquiry type

Industry

  • Manufacturing
  • Architecture / Construction
  • Design
  • Art
  • Robotics
  • IT / Software
  • Education
  • Other

BAT Partners Inc.

Address

Room C-711, U1 CenterIncheon Techno Valley236 Jubuto-ro, Bupyeong-guIncheon 21330, Republic of Korea

Email
contact@b-at.kr
Phone
+82 32 512 2182
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Contact

Project inquiry

Tell us about your project or question about BAT Partners' solutions and services. Our team will review it and reply by email.

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