3D Printing Time and Material Estimation with Low-Resolution Slicing

The patent segments the calculation process into two distinct stages: a pre-calculation phase using low-resolution slicing to estimate total material consumption and printing time, and a detailed phase using high-resolution slicing only for specific regions or final verification. This segmentation allows the system to obtain reasonably accurate estimates quickly without the prohibitive computational cost of processing entire models at full printing resolution.

The patent applies partial action by performing high-resolution calculations only on portions of the model that require precise material estimation, while using low-resolution calculations for the majority of the model. This approach provides sufficient accuracy for planning purposes while dramatically reducing overall computational requirements compared to processing the entire model at full resolution.

The patent segments the model into different regions with varying complexity and applies different slicing resolutions to each segment. High-resolution slicing is applied only to regions with complex geometries or critical material consumption areas, while low-resolution slicing is used for simpler regions. This selective approach maintains estimation accuracy for critical areas while improving overall calculation speed.

The patent implements local quality by assigning different calculation precisions to different parts of the model based on their specific requirements. Regions with overhangs, support structures, or complex features receive higher resolution analysis, while straightforward geometric regions use lower resolution. This ensures that estimation accuracy is optimized where it matters most while maintaining high overall productivity.

The patent segments the computational task into hierarchical levels: first performing a global low-resolution analysis to establish baseline material consumption and time estimates, then performing localized high-resolution analysis only on regions that significantly impact the overall estimates. This hierarchical segmentation reduces computational complexity from processing every voxel at full resolution to processing only critical regions at high resolution.

The patent applies excessive action selectively by performing more detailed calculations than strictly necessary for the entire model, but only in regions where such detail provides meaningful improvement to estimation accuracy. This partial application of high-resolution analysis achieves near-full-resolution precision for critical areas while avoiding the prohibitive computational cost of processing the entire model at maximum detail.