ABOUT ME

Hi, I’m João Ajuda, a 27-year-old mechanical engineer passionate about additive manufacturing, machine building, product development and hands-on problem-solving. I just delivered my master's thesis in Mechanical Engineering (Masters in Production) at Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), where I’ve worked the past five years as an additive manufacturing and product development researcher.

StoneForge 3D Printer

For the past two years I’ve single-handedly designed and prototyped StoneForge 3D Printer: a laboratory-scale concrete 3D printer featuring independent gantries for material deposition and reinforcement placement. It provides a 1600 × 1200 × 1000 mm build volume that can expand along the Y-axis for longer parts or extra tools. Conceived as both my master’s thesis and research project, the StoneForge enables research teams at IST to explore new materials, processes, and reinforcement strategies in 3D Concrete Printing. Starting from a blank sheet, I engineered every subsystem — mechanics, electronics, and control — culminating in a full-scale working prototype.

Exploring the Frontiers of 3D Printing

My lifelong curiosity about “how things work” led me straight to Lab2ProD, where I fell headfirst into the thrilling world of 3D printing and product development. Since then, I’ve designed and printed thousands of parts—optimizing every print parameter, experimenting with new materials, and constantly applying Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) methodologies.

Other Projects

Besides the StoneForge 3D Printer project, there are two other projects that boosted my product development, machine building, and additive manufacturing knowledge:

• COVID Isolation Hood – When COVID-19 struck, I joined this project as a product development researcher. The goal was to develop a medical device to shield medical staff from contaminated patients. I was responsible for all CAD development, built the first prototypes, and played a crucial role in developing the final prototypes, as many parts were 3D-printed.
• Proteo: 4.5-axis CNC machine – For the machine-tools course, I reassembled a 4.5-axis CNC machine that had been completely disassembled for maintenance. All parts were jumbled together in one bag—no photographs or documentation to guide us. We only knew it was supposed to be a 4.5-axis turning machine.