Optimizing support structures for additive manufacturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The design of support structures for additively manufactured industrial assets is a complex, time-consuming, and costly process, often requiring manual iteration and significant material waste, as existing methods lack efficient and accurate computerized solutions to prevent distortion and optimize material usage.
Innovation Solution
An automated support structure creation platform that uses a generative design system combining build process simulation and topology optimization to minimize material usage while ensuring distortion constraints are met, facilitating the design of optimized support structures through an iterative loop between simulation and optimization engines.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If manual trial-and-error design methods are used for support structures, then design accuracy can be improved through iteration, but design cycle time and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary simulation and analysis of distortion and support requirements before actual manufacturing. The system calculates distortion predictions and determines optimal support structures in advance using computational models, eliminating the need for repeated trial-and-error physical prototypes while ensuring design accuracy.
2Manufacturing precision
If support structures are designed to prevent distortion, then manufacturing precision improves, but material usage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies support structures only where locally required based on distortion predictions. The system identifies specific regions needing support and places support structures precisely in those locations rather than using uniform support coverage, minimizing material waste while maintaining manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system optimizes support structure parameters such as thickness, density, and geometry to provide sufficient support while minimizing material usage. By adjusting these parameters based on distortion predictions, the system achieves effective distortion prevention with reduced support material.
3Manufacturing precision
If expert manual design is used for support structures, then design quality can be maintained, but ease of operation decreases due to complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements an automated system that performs support structure design without requiring expert manual intervention. The computational model automatically calculates distortion predictions, determines optimal support configurations, and generates design outputs, making the process self-sufficient and eliminating the need for specialized expert knowledge while maintaining high design quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual expert design processes with computational algorithms and simulation models. The system uses automated calculations and digital modeling to determine support structures, substituting human expert analysis with computer-based mechanical and thermal models that provide consistent, repeatable results.
Data Source
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AI summary
According to some embodiments, an industrial asset item definition data store may contain at least one electronic record defining the industrial asset item. An automated support structure creation platform may include a support structure optimization computer processor. The automated support structure optimization computer processor may, for example, be adapted to automatically create support structure geometry data associated with an additive printing process for the industrial asset item. The creation may be performed, according to some embodiments, via an iterative loop between a build process simulation engine and a topology optimization engine.