Design and Implementation of a Mixed Reality Human-Machine Interface for 3D Printer Real-Time Monitoring and Management

The rapid advancement of 3D printing technology has catalyzed the emergence of diverse 3D printers for both industry and consumer applications. Various brands of 3D printers feature different operation interfaces. Although they have similar operation logic, users often face a steep learning curve when operating them in the beginning. In this paper, we leverage the advantages of Mixed Reality to redesign the human-machine interface for 3D printers. Compared to traditional module-oriented interfaces, we introduce a task-oriented interface to simplify 3D printer operation and minimize potential human errors. We also integrate various sensors to enable realtime monitoring of printer statuses while the operator is in MR. The new platform also allows the operators to supervise multiple pieces of equipment simultaneously. More importantly, this methodology can be readily expanded to other manufacturing machines to revolutionize human-machine interaction in the industrial domain.