- Client
- Manufacturing company (under NDA)
- Before
- Imported 2D plotters and 3D printers
- After
- In-house machines, local electronics
- My role
- Electronics, firmware and motion tuning
The problem
The client relied on imported plotters and 3D printers. Every machine was expensive, spare parts took weeks to arrive, and they could not change the software to suit their own process. They had the mechanical skills in-house but not the electronics and firmware expertise.
How I solved it
Pick the right firmware
I compared the main open-source motion firmware options for each machine and chose based on speed, accuracy and how easily their team could configure it.
Standard, available electronics
Controller boards, stepper drivers and sensors were chosen from parts available locally, so spares are a day away, not a month.
Motion tuning
I tuned acceleration, step timing and, on the 3D printers, vibration compensation, so print and plot quality matched the imported machines.
Their own features
Custom commands and macros for their production steps, which the imported machines could never offer.
Documentation and training
Build guides and calibration procedures so their technicians can assemble and maintain the machines themselves.
What the client got
Results
- Machines built in-house at roughly 60% lower cost each.
- Spare parts available locally, with no long downtime.
- Firmware they can change to fit their own process.
- A team trained to build and maintain the machines.
Embedded systems consultant at TechProgeny, Bengaluru. 7+ years and 29+ shipped products across firmware, embedded Linux, edge AI, apps and IoT servers.