Defeaturing Tool for Additive Manufacturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Additive manufacturing techniques face constraints such as size limitations, which prevent the production of certain object features, especially in designs intended for larger objects like houses or buildings, where features like door knobs become too small to be replicated effectively.
Innovation Solution
A computer control system modifies design files by projecting features that do not meet size constraints onto a surface as a 2D bitmap, incorporating color information, and replacing the original feature with a texture or height difference, allowing for the feature to be represented without violating manufacturing constraints.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If additive manufacturing is used to produce objects with small features, then manufacturing capability is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to size constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts 3D features that are too small to manufacture accurately into 2D projections or textures on larger surfaces. By projecting the small feature geometry onto a 2D plane and applying it as a texture or height map on a manufacturable surface, the system preserves the visual appearance of the original feature while working within the size constraints of additive manufacturing.
2Ease of manufacture
If design features are reduced in size to fit manufacturing constraints, then ease of manufacture is improved, but loss of information occurs about the original design
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a 2D copy or projection of the original 3D feature and applies it as a texture or surface pattern. Instead of attempting to manufacture the small 3D feature directly, the system captures its geometric information, projects it onto a 2D plane, and applies it as a visual representation on the manufactured object's surface, thereby preserving design information in a manufacturable form.
3Ease of manufacture
If small features are removed from the design, then ease of manufacture is improved, but the design completeness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a 2D projection or texture as an intermediary between the original small 3D feature and the manufactured object. This intermediary carries the visual and geometric information of the original feature and applies it to the surface of the manufactured object, allowing the feature to be represented without physically manufacturing the small 3D structure itself.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for modifying features in designs of objects to make them physically capable of being manufactured using additive manufacturing techniques and machines is provided.