Additive Manufacturing Geometrical Calibration for Thermal Deformation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Additive manufacturing systems face deformations in generated three-dimensional objects due to heat application, leading to unexpected dimensions, which can be exacerbated by variations in thermal characteristics within the fabrication chamber, causing growth or shrinkage and affecting the quality and quantity of produced objects.
Innovation Solution
Applying geometrical calibrations such as scaling and surface offsets to the print job before the build process, along with additional annealing layers to ensure thermal uniformity, to compensate for anticipated deformations and optimize object dimensions within the available build chamber height.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If heat is applied to generate three-dimensional objects layer by layer, then the objects are formed through additive manufacturing, but thermal variations cause deformations and dimensional inaccuracies
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by calculating and applying geometrical calibrations (scaling factors and surface offsets) to the print job before the additive manufacturing process begins. This pre-compensation for anticipated thermal deformations allows the objects to be generated with improved dimensional accuracy despite the subsequent thermal variations during layer-by-layer construction
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes geometric parameters of the print job by applying scaling factors and surface offsets to compensate for thermal effects. These parameter modifications adjust the digital model dimensions before manufacturing, counteracting the expected thermal expansion or contraction that occurs during the heat-based additive manufacturing process
2Manufacturing precision
If geometrical calibrations are applied to compensate for thermal deformations, then dimensional accuracy improves, but the build process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically calculating and applying geometrical calibrations to the print job without requiring manual intervention. The controller autonomously processes the digital model, applies the necessary scaling and offset corrections, and prepares the compensated print job, thereby improving dimensional accuracy while avoiding the complexity of manual calibration procedures
3Productivity
If the build chamber height is maximized to accommodate more objects, then production capacity increases, but thermal uniformity decreases causing greater deformations
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by calculating and applying position-specific geometrical calibrations to objects based on their locations within the build chamber. Different scaling factors and surface offsets are applied to different objects or regions to compensate for local thermal variations, allowing the build chamber to be maximized for production capacity while maintaining dimensional consistency across all objects despite thermal non-uniformity
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
The proposed solution effectively reduces deformations, optimizes the amount of build material used, and enhances the quality of generated objects by accurately predicting and adjusting for thermal effects during the additive manufacturing process, thereby improving dimensional accuracy and reducing waste.
Implementation Method 1
Additive manufacturing systems generate three-dimensional objects by distributing subsequent layers of build materials
Implementation Method 2
additional annealing layers to ensure thermal uniformity
Data Source
AI summary
According to an example, a method of processing a print job in an additive manufacturing system comprises: applying a geometrical calibration to the print job to obtain a calibrated job; determining a height of a set of print job powder layers to be formed to generate the objects based on the calibrated print job; determining a height of a set of warming powder layers to be formed prior to the set of print job powder layers; determining an ideal height of a set of annealing powder layers to be formed after to the set of print job powder layers; and determining if the combined height of the sets of layers exceeds the maximum available height.