Fabrication Quote Generation from 2D Drawings and Part Features
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional manufacturing methods, including additive manufacturing, face challenges in reducing overhead costs due to the need for skilled labor and complex configuration of manufacturing settings, which are influenced by factors like part orientation and auxiliary material usage.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for generating a quote for fabrication that includes receiving a 2D drawing file and descriptive information, extracting features, and using these to automatically determine the cost and time required for fabrication, thereby streamlining the manufacturing process and reducing labor costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If additive manufacturing is used to eliminate template components, then overhead costs are reduced, but skilled labor is still required to configure manufacturing settings
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically extracts features from customer drawings and descriptive information, and autonomously determines manufacturing settings including part orientation, support material requirements, and printer configuration. This self-service approach eliminates the need for skilled labor to manually configure manufacturing parameters.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical configuration processes with an automated computer-based system that uses image processing and feature extraction algorithms to determine manufacturing parameters, substituting human expertise with computational analysis.
2Productivity
If multiple part instances are printed simultaneously on a build plate, then productivity increases, but part orientation and layout complexity affect manufacturing settings
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary analysis of customer requirements and part geometry before manufacturing, automatically determining optimal part orientation and layout on the build plate. This advance planning maximizes the number of parts per build while minimizing support material requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the three-dimensional part geometry into two-dimensional footprint analysis for layout optimization on the build plate, using dimensional transformation to solve the packing and arrangement problem efficiently.
3Manufacturing precision
If skilled labor is used to configure manufacturing settings, then manufacturing precision is maintained, but labor costs and overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates feedback loops where manufacturing results and support material usage data are analyzed to continuously improve and refine manufacturing settings, maintaining precision while operating autonomously without skilled labor intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses feature extraction and pattern recognition to copy successful manufacturing configurations from previous jobs, applying learned parameters to new parts to maintain precision through automated knowledge transfer.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for generating a quote for fabrication of a part to be fabricated includes receiving, from a customer device associated with a customer, a design request for a part to be fabricated by a fabrication process, the design request including a two-dimensional drawing file representing the part to be fabricated and descriptive information including a descriptive datum. The method includes extracting a first feature from the 2D drawing file, wherein the first feature represents a geometry of the part to be fabricated. The method includes extracting a second feature from the descriptive information, wherein the second feature represents the descriptive datum. The method includes generating, as a function of the first and second features, a quote for fabrication for the part to be fabricated, the quote for fabrication including a cost and time to fabricate the part to be fabricated and sending the quote for fabrication to the customer.