3D Printing Shell Inspection With Toolpath Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current 3D printing technologies lack a method for in-process inspection and calibration of the print bed and deposited materials, leading to potential inaccuracies and inconsistencies in the printed parts due to manufacturing deviations and environmental factors.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a rangefinding scanner and a shared carriage with a print material deposition head for scanning and compensating manufacturing deviations in the print bed and gantry, allowing for real-time comparison and adjustment of toolpaths to ensure accurate deposition of printing material shells.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If 3D printing is performed without in-process inspection and calibration, then the printing process is faster and simpler, but the accuracy and consistency of printed parts deteriorate due to manufacturing deviations and environmental factors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the rangefinding scanner and print material deposition head onto a shared carriage, allowing both inspection and printing functions to be integrated in a single coordinate system. This merging eliminates the need for separate inspection equipment and simplifies the overall system architecture while maintaining high measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary scanning of the print bed and gantry to create a map of manufacturing deviations before printing begins. This preliminary action allows the system to pre-calculate compensation values and adjust toolpaths in advance, ensuring accurate deposition without requiring complex real-time adjustments during printing.
Solution Approach 3:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the rangefinding scanner continuously measures the actual position of deposited material shells during printing. These measurements are fed back to the control system, which automatically adjusts subsequent deposition operations to compensate for any deviations, creating a closed-loop control system that maintains high precision.
2Manufacturing precision
If in-process inspection and calibration are implemented, then the accuracy of printed parts is improved, but the printing time and process complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs scanning and inspection continuously during the printing process rather than requiring separate pre-printing and post-printing inspection steps. The rangefinding scanner operates concurrently with material deposition, allowing inspection to occur without interrupting the printing workflow and minimizing additional time requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements selective scanning where the rangefinding scanner measures only critical features and regions of the printed part that require high precision, rather than scanning the entire part at every layer. This partial inspection approach maintains accuracy for critical dimensions while reducing the overall inspection time and computational burden.
3Stability of the object's composition
If manufacturing deviations of print bed and gantry are compensated, then the consistency of printed parts is improved, but the device complexity and calibration requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-calibration by using the rangefinding scanner to automatically measure the actual positions of the print bed and gantry components, then generating compensation values without requiring manual measurement or external calibration equipment. The system serves its own calibration needs, eliminating the need for separate calibration procedures and reducing operational complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter representation of toolpaths by introducing compensation arrays that adjust the original deposition coordinates based on measured manufacturing deviations. Instead of physically modifying the print bed or gantry, the system modifies the digital parameters (coordinates and heights) of the toolpath to account for physical imperfections, maintaining consistency through software-based parameter adjustment.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables precise in-process inspection and calibration, compensating for manufacturing and environmental deviations, resulting in improved accuracy and consistency of 3D printed parts by modifying toolpaths based on scanned surface profiles and compensation arrays.
Implementation Method 1
A scanned surface profile of a printing material shell may be received, together with the identification, from the 3D printer
Implementation Method 2
A method involving a rangefinding scanner and a shared carriage with a print material deposition head for scanning and compensating manufacturing deviations
Data Source
AI summary
According to one aspect, embodiments herein provide a method for in-process inspection of a 3D printed part with a 3D printer, comprising slicing a three dimensional model to define a plurality of shell volumes, for substantially each shell volume, generating a toolpath for depositing a printing material shell corresponding to the shell volume, transmitting, together with an identification, the toolpaths defining the printing material shells for deposition by a 3D printer, receiving, together with the identification, from the 3D printer a scanned surface profile of a printing material shell, and computing a process inspection including, according to the identification, a comparison between a received scanned surface profile and a toolpath defining a printing material shell.