MODULAR SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE FOR SCREW EXTRUDER CONTROL IN FGF PRINTING
Authors:
1.
Samara University
(Engineering Center, Laboratory researcher)
employee from 01.01.2023 until now
Samara University (Department of Metal Technology and Aviation Materials Science)
graduate student from 01.01.2025 until now
employee from 01.01.2023 until now
Samara University (Department of Metal Technology and Aviation Materials Science)
graduate student from 01.01.2025 until now
2.
Samara University
Type:
Article
Pages:
from 126
to 129
Status:
Published
Received:
14.01.2026
Accepted:
08.04.2026
Published:
05.05.2026
Language:
Russian
Keywords:
ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE, FGF PRINTING, SCREW EXTRUDER, AUTOMATED CONTROL, MODULARITY
Abstract:
This paper presents a modular software architecture for the automated control of a screw extruder in the Fused Granular Fabrication (FGF) additive technology. The relevance of the research is due to the expansion of the use of additive technologies from prototyping to the creation of large-sized products, where traditional industrial control systems based on programmable logic controllers have a closed architecture and limited adaptability. The proposed architecture is based on the principles of modularity, separation of responsibilities and loose coupling of components, which is achieved through a centralized coordinator through which all functional modules interact. This approach implements the "star" topology and ensures that modules do not call each other's methods directly, but interact only through a common coordinator. The architecture provides for the integration of five main functional modules: temperature control in four zones of the extruder (hopper and three heating zones), event logging, pellet feed control, auger control and video monitoring. All dynamic processes are implemented in single-threaded mode using timers, which eliminates the need for complex synchronization and guarantees deterministic system behavior. A permanent settings storage mechanism is used to save the state between work sessions. The proposed architecture is focused on supporting operator decision-making and can serve as a basis for both replacing and expanding the functionality of existing industrial control cabinets, including future integration through standard protocols. The architecture provides for a simple replacement of components and the addition of new modules, which makes it suitable for research and experimental industrial tasks, as well as for educational purposes when learning the basics of management in FGF printing.
This paper presents a modular software architecture for the automated control of a screw extruder in the Fused Granular Fabrication (FGF) additive technology. The relevance of the research is due to the expansion of the use of additive technologies from prototyping to the creation of large-sized products, where traditional industrial control systems based on programmable logic controllers have a closed architecture and limited adaptability. The proposed architecture is based on the principles of modularity, separation of responsibilities and loose coupling of components, which is achieved through a centralized coordinator through which all functional modules interact. This approach implements the "star" topology and ensures that modules do not call each other's methods directly, but interact only through a common coordinator. The architecture provides for the integration of five main functional modules: temperature control in four zones of the extruder (hopper and three heating zones), event logging, pellet feed control, auger control and video monitoring. All dynamic processes are implemented in single-threaded mode using timers, which eliminates the need for complex synchronization and guarantees deterministic system behavior. A permanent settings storage mechanism is used to save the state between work sessions. The proposed architecture is focused on supporting operator decision-making and can serve as a basis for both replacing and expanding the functionality of existing industrial control cabinets, including future integration through standard protocols. The architecture provides for a simple replacement of components and the addition of new modules, which makes it suitable for research and experimental industrial tasks, as well as for educational purposes when learning the basics of management in FGF printing.
Keywords:
ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE, FGF PRINTING, SCREW EXTRUDER, AUTOMATED CONTROL, MODULARITY
ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE, FGF PRINTING, SCREW EXTRUDER, AUTOMATED CONTROL, MODULARITY
