The System
Every part of AutoFAB is designed to be printed, modular, and eventually assembled by the system itself. Here's what it's made of.
AutoFAB's mechanical frame is designed to be rigid, precise, and manufacturable. The core structure is built from printable components — both for ease of initial assembly and to enable the system to eventually print its own replacement parts.
The build volume is sized for early-stage hardware prototypes: enclosures, sensor housings, robotic components, custom brackets, small electromechanical assemblies. Not consumer electronics at scale — precision prototypes at speed.
The motion system handles three distinct functions: print head movement, assembly arm operation, and build platform positioning. Each axis is independently controlled and individually calibratable.
The assembly arm operates in the same coordinate space as the printer, enabling precise placement of components relative to the printed structure. No coordinate transformation. No handoff between separate machines.
Downward-facing cameras for component identification, placement verification, and print layer inspection. Resolution sufficient for SMD component placement.
Load cells on the assembly arm for contact detection and insertion force monitoring. Used to verify component seating and detect assembly failures.
Print head and build chamber temperature monitoring. Closed-loop control of thermal conditions throughout the build process.
Optical encoders on all motion axes. Sub-millimeter repeatability across the full build volume.
The AutoFAB control stack runs on dedicated embedded hardware and communicates with a higher-level planning layer. The user interface is browser-based: upload a design, configure a build, monitor progress.
The planning layer handles build sequencing: when to print, when to pause and assemble, how to order operations to minimize interference and maximize yield. This is where most of the hard algorithmic work lives.
Every design decision is evaluated against one question: does this make the system easier to automate? Modular components mean the arm can replace them. Software-controlled calibration means the system can recalibrate itself. Printable parts mean the system can manufacture its own replacements.
Autonomy isn't a feature added later — it's the design constraint from day one.
See the full roadmap →