Get to your experiments sooner
Controller, RTC6 board and software arrive installed and tested. Commissioning of your scanner and laser is included.
For research labs
Your grant should fund research, not machine software.
Get your LPBF or SLS experiments running sooner with POWDERBED Core 1. Use an AI coding assistant to extend the open machine software for your research.
Why labs choose an open controller
Your thesis should be about the process.
When a PhD student graduates, the next researcher can inherit a Python script written for a single experiment and have to work out how it controls the machine. Core 1 gives the lab a shared software foundation with versioned configurations, so the next researcher can reproduce the setup and build on the work.
No black boxes in your methods section
Every parameter, every state and every scanner command is in readable source code, so you can describe and reproduce exactly what your machine did.
Results that outlive the project
Versioned configurations and open code mean the next PhD student continues where the last one stopped, on the same software.
What you can do with it
Experiments that closed machines don't allow.
Examples of what the open stack makes possible. What you run on your stand depends on your scanner, laser and sensors.
Per-vector parameters
Set laser power, speed and delays per vector in 3MF toolpaths. Use power ramps to vary laser power within a vector.
Record the real scanner path
Record target and actual scanner positions through RTC6 and compare what you planned with what was exposed.
Store a layer image
Camera drivers can store a layer image. Adapting the next exposure is the BIAS RegelMap case study on this framework.
Explore thermal monitoring features →Script it from Python
Drive experiment series over REST or gRPC, connect optimisers and ML models, and log every result with its parameters.
Add your own process steps
Extend the machine state machine with new phases, waits and checks, without asking a vendor for permission.
Code you can extend
The stack is readable source. A coding assistant can help with boilerplate, and you test the change in simulation before the laser is on.
Writing a proposal?
Put POWDERBED into your grant proposal.
We provide the documents you need to budget Core 1 and its commissioning in a research proposal. Ask early; we usually answer within a few working days.
A formal quote
For the hardware, the packages you need and optional Care, valid for the proposal period.
Budget text
A short justification of the equipment cost, ready to adapt for your proposal.
Technical description
A paragraph on the controller and the open software for the methods or infrastructure section.
Letter of support
On request, from Aagaard AM, for proposals where the controller plays a central role.
Core 1
A controller your procurement can order.
A defined product with a published price and a formal quote.
- Core 1 with SCANLAB RTC6 board
- Autodesk Machine Control Framework preinstalled, with simulation, under BSD-3
- Scanner and laser commissioning
- Initial consulting, build styles and Autodesk Fusion CAD/CAM integration
- Drivers for your equipment, subject to hardware compatibility
- Acceptance test, on site or remote
- Remote onboarding session
- Documentation and connector pinout
- Quotes and technical information for research funding applications
CORE 1€9,900Excluding VAT and shipping. Scanners, lasers, sensors and cameras are not included. The XY2-100 adapter is supplied separately. Availability, delivery times and final scope are confirmed in a written quotation.
Questions from labs
Something else? Write to us directly.
Can we publish our results and our code?
Yes. The software is open source under BSD-3. You can publish your changes, keep them private, or share them with other groups, as you prefer.
Does it work for polymer SLS as well as metal LPBF?
Yes. Core 1 controls galvo scanners and laser signals for both. Bed heating, recoating and atmosphere are usually run by a PLC, which AMCF connects to through drivers such as OPC UA, Beckhoff ADS, B&R or Siemens S7.
We already have a machine. Can Core 1 replace its controller?
Often, yes. Tell us which scanner, laser and PLC your machine uses, and we will tell you what a retrofit would involve. Machine safety and conformity remain with the machine operator.
How do we order?
We send a formal quote for your purchasing department. Delivery time is confirmed with the quote.
Who helps us when something doesn't work?
We do. Onboarding is part of Core 1, and Care adds tested updates, priority support, remote diagnostics and a regular user call.
Discuss your test stand
Tell us your experiment. We'll configure the controller.
Scanner, laser, sensors and the question you want to answer. We will suggest a configuration and a schedule.
Your contact
Sebastian Aagaard, PhD
Founder, Aagaard AM
Built an open-architecture LPBF system at DTU