AAGAARD AM / CONTROLLER PLATFORM

One core.
More possibilities.

A modular bridge between your process, your software and your laser hardware. Start with a single control card. Build towards a complete machine.

Explore the configurations Discover the vision

01—04Desktop vision64 / 128Rack architecture target24 VInternal power platform

ENGINEERED FOR WHAT COMES NEXT Product visualization of POWDERBED Core 1 with scanner, laser and I/O connections

CORE 1 / PRODUCT VISUALIZATIONDemonstrator

Research. Retrofit. Process development.Designed around your application, by Aagaard AM.

01 / THE VISION

CONTROL WITHOUT A DEAD END

Your next experiment
shouldn’t require
a new machine.

The idea behind POWDERBED is simple: give laser process development a practical, adaptable control foundation.

Bring geometry, toolpaths, scanner control and process signals together in one configurable platform. Create a research test stand, develop an application-specific machine, or explore a new control path for existing equipment.

Start with the hardware your application needs today. The expansion vision preserves the same control approach as the installation grows—from a compact box to a rack system.

A controller is the starting point.
Your process defines what it becomes.

Research & development

A configurable starting point for new scan strategies, experiments and laser process development.

Existing machines

A potential fit for industrial OEM legacy systems, where interfaces and machine requirements permit.

Application-specific systems

Build control around the geometry, toolpaths, sensing and workflows that make your process different.

02 / THE PLATFORM

FROM GEOMETRY TO PROCESS

The box connects.
The software makes it useful.

Hardware provides the interfaces. AMCF provides the software foundation. Application-specific build processors turn your geometry into a process.

01 / INPUT

Geometry

Start with the part and the process you want to create.

02 / PREPARATION

Build processor

Translate geometry into application-specific toolpaths and parameters.

03 / CONTROL

Machine framework

Organize execution, configuration and connected devices.

04 / PROCESS

Laser & scanners

Deliver instructions through RTC hardware to the process equipment.

THE SOFTWARE FOUNDATION

Autodesk Machine
Control Framework

Open-source machine control, shaped around your application.

AMCF connects toolpaths, machine hardware and process workflows in one extensible software framework. POWDERBED uses this foundation to build control around your equipment, scan strategy and operator needs.

Discover AMCFOfficial overview, features & getting started

01 / OPEN SOURCE

Understand and extend the control

Inspect the source, adapt machine behaviour and develop application-specific software. AMCF’s licensing supports proprietary extensions, allowing process expertise to remain your own.

02 / MODULAR HARDWARE

Connect different kinds of equipment

Driver plugins separate device interfaces from machine logic. Supported hardware and custom integrations can bring scanners, sensors, cameras and other equipment into a common workflow.

03 / PUBLIC INTERFACES

Connect beyond the box

Public REST APIs provide a foundation for custom interfaces, automation and integration with wider production systems.

04 / ADAPTABLE WORKFLOWS

Build around the experiment

Machine-specific process logic, configurable user interfaces and process data support research setups, retrofit projects and purpose-built machines. Monitoring and feedback can be engineered around the application.

These are capabilities of the underlying framework. The available POWDERBED functions depend on the selected configuration and application integration.

Optional sensing, cameras and process monitoring can be integrated according to the selected hardware and software interfaces.

03 / ROOM TO GROW

ONE FAMILY. DIFFERENT SCALES.

Start at one.
Think beyond the box.

Explore the proposed family. Each RTC card provides two scanner outputs and one laser output. Larger configurations extend the architecture—not just the enclosure.

Demonstrator

POWDERBED Core 1

The compact starting point. One RTC card and an integrated computer in a desktop enclosure for a focused process development setup.

RTC cards: 1
Scanner outputs: 2
Laser outputs: 1

A starting point for a single laser process or research test stand.

Discuss this configuration

CONTROL ARCHITECTUREDesktop

Controller computerAMCF + application-specific software

Internal Ethernet network

RTC 012 × scanner1 × laser

Conceptual connection diagram. External scanners, lasers and sensors are separate equipment.

Where we are today

Core 1 is the hardware demonstrator presented here. Core 2 and Core 4 are expansion concepts. The rack installation is an architecture vision targeting 64–128 RTC cards; system coordination, power, cooling, network design and machine integration require further engineering.

04 / THE HARDWARE

A CLEAR INTERFACE TO YOUR PROCESS

Every connection
has a purpose.

POWDERBED Core 1 front product visualization

CORE 1 / FRONT PANEL

Scanner outputs

Two 9-pin D-sub connections for the scanner interfaces.

Laser output

A 15-pin D-sub connection for the laser interface.

Configurable 16-pin I/O

A configurable 16-pin connector, with signals and pin assignment selected for the application.

Power indicator

A green indicator with an aluminium bezel on the front panel.

16 PINS / CONFIGURED FOR YOUR PROCESS

The connections
your application needs.

The front I/O connector brings a selected set of RTC signals to an accessible 16-pin interface. Its wiring and pin assignment are configured around the application—whether that calls for motion control, encoder tracking or process signals.

Discuss your I/O configuration

STEPPER

Control up to two stepper motors

Route RTC stepper-control signals for motion functions in the setup, through suitable external motor drivers.

MARKING ON THE FLY

Track motion with encoder signals

Expose encoder inputs from the RTC marking-on-the-fly interface for applications that coordinate processing with a moving part or material.

DIGITAL I/O

Exchange process signals

Select digital inputs and outputs from the RTC extension interfaces for triggers, status and equipment handshaking.

SPI / ANALOGUE / UART

Adapt to specialist equipment

Selected signals from the RTC SPI/ANA/UART interface can support application-specific data exchange and analogue inputs.

The 16-pin connector exposes a selected signal set, rather than every RTC interface simultaneously. The final pinout, electrical compatibility and required interface electronics are defined for each configuration.

Product visualizations based on the Core 1 CAD and print artwork. Rendering details may differ from the demonstrator hardware.

05 / CONNECTED BY DESIGN

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PLATFORM

More than laser control.
A connection to your process.

The rear panel brings power, the controller computer and process equipment together. Its Ethernet connections create room for sensing, observation and application-specific devices.

HOST LAN

Connect the computer

A host connection for the controller computer, with a separate equipment network in the intended architecture.

ETH 1–4

Connect the process

Four panel Ethernet connections provide access to the internal equipment network. They are network access ports, rather than four independent computer network interfaces.

USB / HDMI / 24 V

Build a practical setup

Connect a display and USB peripherals, and supply suitable external equipment through the DC outputs within the available power budget.

WHAT CAN JOIN THE NETWORK?

A common network.
Different roles.

Ethernet provides the connection. Compatible protocols and device software determine what each piece of equipment can do.

Temperature & process sensing

Connect compatible sensing equipment for device communication, measurement access and process observation.

Ethernet cameras

Explore camera connections for process observation and image acquisition with supported hardware and software.

RTC control hardware

Use the internal network as the connection foundation for the RTC cards as the configuration expands.

Application-specific equipment

Add compatible measurement systems or networked I/O according to the machine interfaces and integration requirements.

The examples describe integration options, not universal plug-and-play compatibility. Device support, bandwidth and timing requirements are assessed for each application.

COLLABORATION / SENSORTHERM

Connect control
with temperature insight.

SensorTherm is a collaboration partner for the POWDERBED controller vision, with its HELIOS sensor bringing a concrete process-sensing application into focus.

Explore SensorTherm HELIOS

SENSORTHERMCollaboration partner

HELIOS

High-speed two-colour pyrometry

POWDERBEDController platform

Ethernet

HELIOSTemperature sensing

The HELIOS H422 provides an Ethernet interface alongside dedicated process signals. This opens a path for device communication and temperature measurement access within an application-specific setup.

Ethernet connectivity does not by itself establish a validated high-speed feedback loop. Real-time control requires the appropriate signal paths and system integration.

Discuss a HELIOS-based setup ↗

06 / BUILT AROUND YOUR APPLICATION

Versatility comes
from integration.

The same control foundation can serve different machines, processes and research questions.

Process-specific software

Adapt the build processor and workflow to your geometry and scan strategy.

Connected equipment

Plan interfaces for sensors, cameras and optional process-monitoring devices around the application. The SensorTherm HELIOS collaboration is one concrete direction for temperature sensing.

A complete machine context

Define machine-level interlocks, safety functions and operating requirements as part of the integration.

LET’S DEFINE YOUR NEXT SETUP

What would you
build around it?

Tell us about your process, your existing equipment and where you want to go. We can explore the right starting point together.

Talk to Sebastian

POWDERBED / BY AAGAARD AM

12464/128

From a desktop demonstrator
to a rack architecture vision.

Sebastian@aagaardAM.com