Embedded Linux Conference & OpenIoT Summit North America 2018

Software running on embedded Linux with Xenomai is used to control a 3D printer. The lessons learned and practical advice will be shared in this presentation. There were many challenges to overcome. A complete 3D printing system requires precise motion control, thermal control, material delivery and monitoring, and coordinated data transfers. All concurrent real time processes must be coordinated and managed, while providing interactive response to user input. In parallel with the real time processing, the system must slice the 3D model into layers for printing, which is by its nature a compute-bound application. The dual-kernel architecture of Linux with Xenomai was ideal for maintaining low and predictable latencies for real time control, while allowing the complex and resource intensive slicing application to run in parallel.