Hybrid Wireframe Solid 3D Printing for Rapid Prototyping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current 3D printing technologies are slow and inefficient, particularly for rapid prototyping, as they require manual assembly and are not fully automated, limiting designers' ability to quickly iterate and validate 3D model designs.
Innovation Solution
A fully automated low-fidelity 3D printing method that converts 3D models into wireframe structures, allowing for rapid fabrication and material savings, using a mesh pattern to represent the design, which can be enhanced with hybrid structures incorporating solid elements for added detail.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional layer-wise 3D printing is used, then manufacturing precision is improved, but productivity deteriorates (printing time is too long)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the 3D model into two distinct parts: wireframe structures (edges and contours) and solid structures (facets and surfaces). This segmentation allows selective printing - wireframe portions are printed rapidly while solid portions are printed with higher precision, resolving the contradiction between speed and precision by applying different printing strategies to different segments of the same object.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by using wireframe printing for regions where speed is prioritized and solid structure printing for regions where precision is prioritized. The system automatically determines which portions of the 3D model should be printed as wireframe versus solid based on design requirements, enabling local optimization of both speed and precision in different areas of the printed object.
2Productivity
If low-fidelity wireframe printing is used, then productivity is improved (printing time reduced), but manufacturing precision deteriorates (less detail)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges wireframe printing and solid structure printing into a single hybrid printing process. By combining the rapid wireframe printing technique with precise solid structure printing, the system achieves both high productivity (from the wireframe portion) and high manufacturing precision (from the solid portion), eliminating the trade-off between speed and detail.
3Ease of manufacture
If manual assembly is required for low-fidelity printing, then ease of manufacture is improved, but device complexity deteriorates (automation level)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling the 3D printer to automatically complete the entire printing process without manual intervention. The system automatically slices the 3D model, generates toolpaths for both wireframe and solid portions, and executes the hybrid printing process in one continuous operation, eliminating the need for manual assembly while maintaining high automation levels.
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
This approach significantly reduces printing time by up to a factor of 10 compared to traditional layer-wise printing, enabling faster design validation and iteration while minimizing material usage, and allows for quick transitions between wireframe and solid structures.
Implementation Method 1
3D printing is any process used to manufacture a 3D object. For example, material may be deposited sequentially by a 3D printer (i.e., print head) to manufacture an object.
Data Source
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AI summary
A fast and economical system and methods directed to low-fidelity fabrication of three-dimensional (3D) objects using 3D printing. The invention facilitates rapid prototyping by providing a wireframe structure in the form of the underlying design structure of a 3D model, which may be useful for a variety of reasons including to provide a prototype preview that may be used for design validation of a 3D model.