Using artificial intelligence to control digital manufacturing: Researchers train a machine-learning model to monitor and adjust the 3D printing process to correct errors in real-time

Often, an expert operator must use manual trial-and-error -- possibly making thousands of prints -- to determine ideal parameters that consistently print a new material effectively. These parameters include printing speed and how much material the printer deposits. MIT researchers have now used artificial intelligence to streamline this procedure. They developed a machine-learning system that uses computer vision to watch the manufacturing process and then correct errors in how it handles the material in real-time. They used simulations to teach a neural network how to adjust printing parameters to minimize error, and then applied that controller to a real 3D printer.