Additive Manufacturing Defect Repair via Temporary Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current additive manufacturing technologies face challenges in effectively repairing defects in complex or hard-to-reach areas without a physical support, leading to inefficiencies and increased product loss due to the lack of a stable printing surface.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method and system that uses a sensor set and knowledge corpus to identify defects, creates a context-aware physical support using a robotic system and 3D printing, and applies a water-soluble secondary material to facilitate repair, allowing for mid-air additive manufacturing and reducing product loss.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If additive manufacturing is used to repair defects in complex or hard-to-reach areas without physical support, then manufacturing capability is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to lack of stable printing surface
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a physical support structure as an intermediary element that provides a stable printing surface for additive manufacturing in hard-to-reach areas. This support structure acts as a mediator between the printer and the complex geometry, enabling precise deposition of repair material where direct printing would fail due to lack of surface stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by creating the physical support structure before performing the additive manufacturing repair process. The support is prepared in advance to establish a stable foundation, ensuring that subsequent printing operations can be performed with high precision in complex geometries that would otherwise be inaccessible.
2Manufacturing precision
If physical support is created for additive manufacturing repair, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the discarding and recovering principle by designing the physical support structure to be temporary and removable after the additive manufacturing repair is complete. The support is discarded once it has served its purpose of providing a stable printing surface, thereby reducing the final device complexity while maintaining manufacturing precision during the repair process.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical support structure is designed as a disposable, short-living component that is inexpensive to create and remove. This allows the system to use complex support structures during the repair process without permanently increasing device complexity, as the supports are discarded after serving their temporary function of enabling precise printing in hard-to-reach areas.
3Manufacturing precision
If secondary material is used to complete physical support, then manufacturing precision is improved, but loss of substance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by using secondary material only in specific locations where it is needed to complete the physical support structure, rather than using it throughout the entire support. This targeted approach ensures manufacturing precision in critical areas while minimizing overall material consumption and reducing loss of substance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes material parameters by selecting water-soluble secondary material that can be easily removed after serving its purpose. This parameter change allows the support structure to achieve high manufacturing precision during printing while minimizing permanent material loss, as the secondary material can be dissolved and removed without requiring additional mechanical processing.
4Ease of repair
If water-soluble secondary material is used and removed after repair, then ease of repair is improved, but loss of time increases due to drying and removal processes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical removal systems with a chemical dissolution process. Instead of using mechanical tools to remove the support structure, the system uses water-soluble secondary material that dissolves in water, automatically removing the support without requiring additional mechanical intervention. This substitution improves ease of repair while the time loss is offset by the simplicity and automation of the dissolution process.
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
Enables efficient repair of defects in complex or hard-to-reach areas by providing a stable printing surface, increasing repair time efficiency and reducing product loss through dynamic management of additive manufacturing processes.
Implementation Method 1
identifying a secondary material is required to complete the physical support based on the comparative result of the cavity and dimension of the three-dimensional printed object, wherein the secondary material is water soluble, and wherein the secondary material is dissolved or removed after the completion of the repair
Data Source
AI summary
In an approach to improve additive manufacturing embodiments receive, by a sensor set, data associated with an object or a predetermined area, and retrieve, by a knowledge corpus, historic data associated with the object or the predetermined area. Further, embodiments identify a defect on or within an object based on an identified difference in the received data and the historic data and identify, by the sensor set, a target area on the object to repair the defect. Additionally, embodiments, create, by a context-aware robotic system, a physical support around the target area, and repair, by an additive manufacturing mechanism and the physical support, the defect by applying three-dimensional printing-based rectification to the defect.