AI Build has officially joined the 3MF Consortium as an associate member, reinforcing its commitment to advancing multi-axis additive manufacturing. As a leader in AI-driven robotic 3D printing, AI Build is now actively contributing to the development of the 3MF Toolpath extension, a critical step toward standardized, interoperable machine control for multi-axis deposition processes.
“We are proud to join the 3MF Consortium as an associate member after our recent conversations with Duann Scott in New York. As the additive manufacturing industry matures, we need standards and seamless interoperability between different software and hardware technologies, which is what 3MF has been working on for over a decade. We are particularly excited about the Toolpath extension that is currently in development and is spearheaded by Alexander Oster and his team. We are looking forward to further developing and adopting the new 3MF Toolpath extension in Aibuild software as the unifying interface for multi-axis systems across Direct Energy Deposition (DED), Fused Granule Fabrication (FGF), Cold Spray, Friction Stir, and more deposition-based processes.”
— Daghan Cam, Co-Founder and CEO, AI Build
Expanding the 3MF Toolpath Extension to Multi-Axis Systems
The 3MF Toolpath extension, led by Alexander Oster, Technical Director of the 3MF Consortium, is a critical effort to establish a universal toolpath standard for additive manufacturing (AM). A significant amount of work has already been done in defining toolpaths for Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF), with proven implementations demonstrating the effectiveness of the format.
With AI Build’s expertise in robotic multi-axis printing, the Toolpath extension will now expand to support additional AM processes, including:
- Direct Energy Deposition (DED)
- Fused Granule Fabrication (FGF)
- Cold Spray
- Friction Stir
- Other multi-axis additive manufacturing technologies
Why Standardized Toolpaths Matter
Traditional G-code and proprietary formats have long been a bottleneck for machine interoperability, forcing manufacturers to rely on custom implementations for each system. The 3MF Toolpath extension is designed to address these challenges by offering a structured, machine-agnostic format that supports:
- Consistent, standardized toolpath data across different AM processes
- Interoperability between software and hardware
- Advanced metadata capabilities for machine-specific parameters
- Efficient handling of complex, multi-axis toolpaths
By adopting and contributing to 3MF’s Toolpath extension, AI Build is helping to create a universal, open-source toolpath standard that will drive greater efficiency, automation, and scalability in the additive manufacturing industry.
What’s Next?
With AI Build now actively contributing to the 3MF Consortium, the additive manufacturing community can expect to see major advancements in multi-axis toolpath standardization. As work continues, AI Build’s involvement will ensure that robotic and multi-axis systems benefit from the same structured, scalable toolpath framework that has already been demonstrated for LPBF and other AM technologies.