Hybrid Manufacturing Planning Using Atom Constraints and Orientations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automating hybrid manufacturing poses challenges due to the complexity of combining additive and subtractive processes, particularly in determining optimal orientations and constraints for assembling atoms into a manufactured item.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that iteratively split a digital model into atoms, assign additive and subtractive orientations, extract constraints, and determine the assembly order using a planner to output manufacturing information for three-dimensional printers or hybrid manufacturing systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If hybrid manufacturing combines additive and subtractive processes, then manufacturing flexibility and capability are improved, but process complexity and difficulty of automation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing process is segmented into distinct additive and subtractive operations, with each operation assigned to specific atoms in the digital model. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each process type while maintaining overall flexibility through the ability to sequence operations dynamically.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs dynamic planning that adapts the sequence of additive and subtractive operations based on real-time constraints and objectives. The planner dynamically adjusts the manufacturing plan by considering support requirements, tool accessibility, and material properties, enabling flexible response to changing conditions while managing process complexity through structured decision-making.
2Manufacturing precision
If the digital model is split into atoms with additive and subtractive orientations, then manufacturing precision and control are improved, but computational complexity and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The digital model is atomized into discrete volumetric elements that can be independently assigned additive or subtractive orientations. This segmentation enables precise control over each atom's manufacturing process while the systematic assignment methodology prevents combinatorial explosion by applying logical rules for orientation determination.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary analysis during the atomization phase to pre-determine optimal orientations and identify constraint relationships between atoms. By resolving orientation assignments and extracting constraints upfront, the system reduces computational burden during the planning phase and accelerates overall processing while maintaining manufacturing precision.
3Reliability
If constraints between atoms are extracted and assembly order is determined, then manufacturing reliability and feasibility are improved, but computational requirements and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The constraint extraction process incorporates feedback loops that verify the feasibility of proposed assembly sequences against manufacturing constraints. The planner continuously checks support requirements, tool accessibility, and material properties during plan generation, adjusting the sequence to ensure reliability while managing system complexity through iterative validation rather than exhaustive analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary planning layer that mediates between the atomized model and the manufacturing system. This planner translates atomic constraints into a coordinated sequence of operations, managing complexity by abstracting the detailed constraint satisfaction problem into a structured planning framework that ensures manufacturing reliability without requiring direct complex interactions between all system components.
Data Source
AI summary
An approach to automating hybrid manufacturing is provided. This approach first splits an item of manufacture into irreducible pieces called atoms, then extracts constraints between the atoms, and then uses a planner to find the best way to assemble the atoms into the item of manufacture given the constraints. The approach splits the item into atoms based on various properties such as the presence or absence of support, the need for scaffolding, tool reachability constraints, and the presence of cycles of dependencies which prevent the item from being manufactured.