CAD Device for 3D Shapes from Thick Material
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional CAD systems cannot effectively form a prescribed three-dimensional shape from a material member with a prescribed thickness, as bending such materials is difficult due to their thickness, and existing techniques fail to create molds with fitting parts for adjacent components.
Innovation Solution
A CAD device that creates molds with fitting parts for adjacent components based on developed or isolated plan views, communicating with laser cutters and printers to cut or print these molds, allowing for the formation of three-dimensional shapes by clipping components from material members with a prescribed thickness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional CAD systems create developed views for thin materials, then the views can be easily bent and formed, but the technique cannot be applied to material members with prescribed thickness
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the single developed view into multiple isolated plan views, each representing a separate component. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured independently from thick material without requiring bending, while still forming the complete three-dimensional shape when assembled together.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a two-dimensional developed view to three-dimensional components with fitting parts. By adding the dimension of depth/thickness to create protruding and recessed fitting portions, the system enables assembly of thick material components that form the desired three-dimensional shape without bending.
2Productivity
If molds are created without fitting parts, then the cutting process is simpler, but the components cannot be assembled to form three-dimensional shapes
Solution Approach 1:
The fitting parts (protruding and recessed portions) are pre-integrated into the mold designs before cutting. This preliminary action ensures that when components are cut from thick material, they already possess the necessary fitting features for assembly, eliminating the need for post-processing and enabling direct assembly into three-dimensional shapes.
3Ease of manufacture
If components are cut from thick material without fitting parts, then the cutting process is easier, but the components cannot be assembled
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the cutting function with the assembly function by integrating fitting parts into the cut components. The same cutting process that creates the component shape also creates the fitting portions, combining two functions into one operation and enabling both easy manufacturing from thick material and subsequent assembly.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a technique for forming a prescribed three-dimensional shape from a material member having a prescribed thickness. A CAD device creates a mold for cutting out at least one component for forming a prescribed three-dimensional shape from a material member. A developed view generation unit creates a developed view or an isolated plan view of the prescribed three-dimensional shape. On the basis of the developed view or the isolated plan view, a mold creation unit creates a mold for a component having a fitting part for fitting with an other, adjacent component. A cut-out order determination unit attaches a symbol indicating the cut-out order to each component or to each of a plurality of isolated elements in the component.