Additive Fabrication Support Tips for Clean Removal and Surface Quality
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Solution Overview
Problem
Additive fabrication techniques often result in surface deformations and flaws due to the use of support structures, which can damage the object during fabrication and post-processing, especially when the support structures are not designed to minimize contact with the object.
Innovation Solution
The use of support tips oriented normal to the object's surface, which are mechanically weaker than the bulk support structure, to reduce the area of contact and facilitate easier removal without compromising mechanical support, along with graphical user interface feedback to ensure adequate support is provided during the fabrication process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If support structures are used to provide mechanical support to unsupported regions during additive fabrication, then fabrication stability is improved, but surface quality deteriorates due to deformations and flaws caused by attachment and removal
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure incorporates support tips with locally modified properties at the contact points with the object. These tips are mechanically weaker than the bulk support structure, allowing them to break away easily during removal while the main support structure remains strong. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by providing strong support during fabrication while enabling clean removal that preserves surface quality.
2Ease of operation
If support structures are removed from the fabricated object, then the support function is eliminated, but object damage occurs during removal including surface finish degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The support tips are designed with changed mechanical parameters compared to the bulk support structure - specifically, they are made mechanically weaker with lower strength and fracture toughness. This parameter change allows the tips to be easily broken away from the object surface during removal, facilitating easy support structure elimination while preventing damage to the object's surface finish.
3Ease of operation
If support structures use the same material as the desired object, then material consistency is improved, but defect visibility increases making flaws more apparent
Solution Approach 1:
While the support structure uses the same material as the object for overall consistency, the support tips at the contact points have locally modified mechanical properties - they are mechanically weaker than both the bulk support structure and the object material. This local differentiation allows the tips to be easily removed without leaving visible defects, resolving the contradiction between material consistency and defect visibility.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for evaluating support for an object to be fabricated via an additive fabrication device are provided. In some embodiments, a three-dimensional representation of the object is obtained and a plurality of voxels corresponding to the representation of the object is generated. A first supportedness value may be assigned to a first voxel of the plurality of voxels based on an amount of support provided by a support structure to the first voxel, and a second supportedness value determined for a second voxel of the plurality of voxels, wherein the second voxel neighbors the first voxel, and wherein the second supportedness value is determined based on the first supportedness value of the first voxel and a weight value representing a transmission rate of supportedness through voxels of the plurality of voxels.