Part Setup
Import, orient, scale, arrange and validate the CAD model inside the virtual build environment.
Computer-Aided Process Planning for WAAM & DED
Meet SETU
The digital bridge between your CAD model and the manufacturing cell. SETU brings part setup, slicing, advanced deposition planning, robot simulation and robot-ready program generation into one connected workflow.
WAAM / WADED
DED Process Planning
Advanced Toolpaths
Robot Simulation
One connected environment
From CAD to Robot-Ready Program
SETU organizes the complete additive-manufacturing planning sequence into five clear stages, while retaining project history, material inventory and machine configuration in the same workspace.
Slicing
Planar or skeleton slicing, custom Z ranges, machining allowance and region-wise layer control.
Toolpaths
Choose deposition strategies, process parameters, thermal/travel logic and inspect every layer.
Simulation
Run robot inverse kinematics, reach and joint-limit checks before entering the physical cell.
Robot Code
Post-process, inspect, edit and export robot-specific programs for manufacturing.
SETU sign-in and user workspace flow.
User Workspace
Separate Project Space for Every User
SETU supports individual user accounts so people sharing the same workstation can work within their own project space. Standard users do not see one another's project lists, while an administrator can centrally manage and remove user accounts when required.
Individual sign-in and user-specific project workspace.
Project separation between standard users.
Administrator-level user management.
Well suited to shared laboratories, R&D centres and manufacturing cells.
Dashboard: projects, workstation configuration, feedstock inventory and activity history.
Project Dashboard
Your Manufacturing Workspace at a Glance
After sign-in, SETU presents the user's projects, the latest unfinished job, configured robotic cell, available feedstock and recent activity in one place. The dashboard is designed to let a user resume planning without searching across separate applications or records.
Resume the most recent unfinished project directly from the dashboard.
Search projects and switch between All, Pinned, Mine, Recent, Card and Table views.
See project stage, plan status, warnings and other job information before opening it.
View the active robot, positioner, torch, substrate and default material for the workstation.
Review recent project/account activity from an integrated activity log.
Smart Material Tracking
SETU estimates material requirements from the imported component geometry and keeps the feedstock inventory visible throughout the planning workflow.
Stage 01
Part Setup — Build the Virtual Manufacturing Environment
Import the CAD model and prepare its position, orientation, scale, material and substrate arrangement before slicing. The virtual arrangement can be matched to the intended real manufacturing setup for better process visualization and downstream robot simulation.
Interactive CAD Placement & Build Preparation
Translate, rotate and orient parts inside the virtual cell, apply uniform or axis-dependent scaling, and place the component directly on the defined substrate. A top-view plan allows parts to be selected and dragged across the plate for fast arrangement.
Translate XYZ
Rotate RX / RY / RZ
Uniform Scale
Axis-Dependent Scale
Drag-on-Plate Placement
Substrate Material
Substrate Size & Position
Model health & pre-slice validation
SETU checks the imported tessellated geometry for model-health issues such as non-watertight or
missing-facet conditions. It also reports part placement, substrate boundaries, clearance, plate
utilization/footprint, estimated mass and combined part + substrate information before slicing.
One-Click Orientation & Placement
Align a selected face to the plate, drop the model to the substrate, centre it, lay it flat, minimize build height or footprint, and automatically nest multiple parts.
Multi-Part Build Planning
Import multiple CAD models, duplicate parts for batch production, group or isolate models, and plan them on a common substrate. Individual models can later use different slicing and process parameters.
Build Orientation as a Planning Decision
Manual and one-click orientation tools help the user search for arrangements that reduce build height, minimize substrate footprint or reduce the need for support structures before process planning begins.
Stage 02
Flexible Slicing for Fabrication, Repair & Hybrid Manufacturing
SETU provides planar and skeleton-based slicing workflows, with control over layer height, shell-only deposition, machining allowance, local Z ranges and region-based variable layer thickness.
Planar & Skeleton Slicing
Planar slicing supports general component geometries using flat layers with a defined layer height. Skeleton slicing is intended for thick- and thin-walled structures using wall centrelines.
Layer height: directly define the deposition-layer thickness.
Exterior shell only: retain only outer contours where a hollow build is required.
Custom Z range: slice only the selected height interval for localized deposition or repair.
Machining allowance: add stock material for subsequent finishing operations.
Hybrid workflow: SETU can export the model with machining allowance as an STL stock model for
downstream finishing-toolpath generation in external CAM software. SETU itself does not generate the machining toolpath.
Localized / Repair Slicing
Limit slicing to the required Z interval instead of processing the complete model—useful for repair and remanufacturing.
Immediate Slice Feedback
Inspect generated layers in the 3D viewport and review layer count, component height, layer thickness and slicing status.
Split-model slicing demonstration.
Variable Layer Control
Different Regions. Different Layer Heights.
Split a model into multiple build regions and independently assign the layer thickness in each region. Finer layers can be retained where geometric resolution is important, while larger layers can be used where higher deposition productivity is preferred.
Define one or more split planes along the build direction.
Colour-coded regions make the segmentation immediately visible.
Assign an independent layer height to each region.
Balance geometric resolution and build productivity within the same component.
Split the Geometry
Create build regions at user-selected heights before assigning regional slicing parameters.
Region-Based Variable Slicing
The example shows two zones using different layer thicknesses and clearly separated in the viewport.
Stage 03
Advanced Toolpath Planning with Process-Aware Controls
Define the deposition strategy and process-planning parameters for each region, inspect the generated trajectory layer-by-layer, and compare alternatives before committing to the build.
Define the Deposition Behaviour
SETU exposes the planning parameters that govern path spacing, motion and inter-layer travel directly beside the 3D model so changes can be evaluated within the same environment.
Bead Width
Number of Passes
Seam Gap
Stepover
Deposition Speed
Rapid Speed
Plunge Speed
Lift Height
Plunge Height
Deposition Angle
Travel or Thermal Priority
Lift/linking behaviour can be selected for minimum travel time or for minimum heat gradient, helping the planner prioritize productivity or reduce localized heat accumulation.
Zig-Zag
Raster-style infill for general area filling, with boundary variants available when an outer outline is required.
Drop on Demand (DOD)
Precise, discrete material placement for geometries and deposition situations requiring localized control.
Trochoidal
Designed for high-deposition applications while promoting more uniform mechanical properties in all three principal directions.
DOD + Zig-Zag
Combines precise DOD deposition with raster filling to realize overhanging geometries without conventional support structures.
Hybrid DOD + Zig-Zag toolpath demonstration.
Advanced Strategies
See the Toolpath Before You Build
Generated trajectories are visualized directly on the component. SETU reports practical planning outputs such as estimated build time, material requirement and path length so the user can evaluate a strategy before simulation or code generation.
Build TimeEstimated before deployment
MaterialWire/feedstock requirement
Path LengthTotal planned trajectory
Lifts / DropsStrategy-specific motion events
Layer Inspector demonstration.
Layer Inspector
Inspect Every Layer Before Manufacturing
Move through the build layer-by-layer and verify the deposition trajectory instead of accepting a complete toolpath as a single opaque result. The Layer Inspector shows boundaries, toolpath lines, weld-start points and weld-off points for each selected layer.
Select individual layers or regions for detailed inspection.
Review start/stop locations and layer-wise path sequence.
View per-layer build time, lift count and path length.
Visually verify the strategy before robot simulation.
User-Defined Toolpath Rotation by Layer
Define a constant angular increment from layer to layer, or enter a custom sequence of deposition angles that repeats through the build. This gives the user direct control over raster orientation and layer crossing.
Lift Strategy Selection
Choose shortest-link routing for minimum travel time or heat-aware linking intended to even out layer temperature.
Side-by-Side Comparison
Compare Strategies Before You Commit
Evaluate two toolpath strategies simultaneously instead of generating them in separate workflows and comparing results manually. SETU places both alternatives side-by-side with their key manufacturing metrics.
Build Time
Material
Path Length
Lifts / Drops
Deposition Parameters
Stage 04
Validate the Robot Motion Before Entering the Cell
Load the required robot, solve the inverse kinematics and simulate the planned deposition sequence inside the virtual cell. Reachability, joint behaviour and potential motion issues can be checked before the job is transferred to the physical robot.
Robot simulation excerpt.
Robot-Specific Virtual Validation
SETU displays the robot configuration and joint angles while the build is simulated. Joint limits can be imposed or adjusted, and the reach-check function helps verify whether the planned component location is accessible to the selected robot.
Import/select the robot and run the inverse-kinematics solution.
Monitor joint values against user-defined joint limits.
Check robot reach before generating the final controller program.
Review collision-related and joint alerts in the simulation environment.
Adjust the part position in the virtual cell at the simulation stage without repeating the earlier planning stages.
Joint Limits & Reach Checks
Track J1–J6 motion, impose allowable limits and evaluate robot reach from the same simulation page.
Simulation Status at a Glance
Review completion time, collisions, joint alerts and the number of simulated layers before moving forward.
Stage 05
From Validated Motion to Robot-Specific Program
After successful simulation, select the appropriate post-processor, define the required robot-program variables and generate the machine-ready output. The resulting program can be reviewed and edited directly in SETU before transfer.
Robot-code generation excerpt.
Post-Process, Review, Edit & Export
SETU can generate robot-specific output through the configured post-processor and gives the user direct visibility of the resulting code. Programs can be organized at different levels depending on the build and controller workflow.
Select the robot-specific post-processor.
Define tool frame, user frame and other controller/program variables.
Generate output per layer, per region or as a consolidated program where supported.
Keep layers as separate files or combine them according to the chosen output arrangement.
Inspect and edit the generated program directly inside SETU.
Save to a selected PC folder or copy directly to USB.
Review program warnings, line count and file size before controller transfer.
Robot & Post-Processor Configuration
Choose the relevant robot/post-processor pair, controller variables and output organization before generation.
Editable Generated Program
Read and modify the generated controller program in SETU, while monitoring file size, line count and warnings.
Controller-Memory Awareness
Displaying the generated program size and line count helps the user plan the output structure around the memory and file-handling constraints of the target robot controller.
Supporting Utilities
Configure the Cell, Materials and Visualization
Beyond the five planning stages, SETU includes practical utilities for feedstock management, robot/TCP configuration, display preferences and file-directory control.
Material Library & Inventory
Add material/spool entries, maintain available quantity and search the material library. The library supports the dashboard's feedstock tracking and material-aware planning workflow.
Robot & TCP Configuration
Select the robot used by the cell, add/import another robot configuration and define the torch/tool centre point offset relative to the robot flange.
Appearance, Tessellation & Files
Switch between light and dark interface modes, control part/display appearance and tessellation accuracy, and define the directory locations SETU uses for project and output files.
A connected digital workflow
One Planning Environment from Geometry to Robot
SETU is designed to reduce the hand-offs between geometry preparation, deposition planning, process evaluation and robotic execution—while keeping the user in control of the parameters that matter.
CAD-Aware Build Setup
Orientation, scaling, substrate planning, multi-part arrangement and pre-slice checks.
DED-Specific Planning
Flexible slicing, patented toolpaths, thermal/travel logic and process parameter control.
Compare Before Building
Inspect every layer and compare alternative strategies using time, material and path metrics.
Virtual Validation to Code
Robot simulation, reach/joint checks, post-processing, code inspection and export.
Want to See SETU on Your Application?
Talk to Aerodramus about WAAM/DED process planning, advanced toolpaths, robotic automation, repair workflows or a tailored SETU demonstration using your component geometry.
Request a SETU Demo →