Implicit AM Slicing Using Field-Guided Toolpaths
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing slicers in additive manufacturing rely on explicit geometric transforms, which are inadequate for producing components with functional properties such as mechanical stress, as these properties are defined as fields over the volume of the object, rather than just its surface.
Innovation Solution
An implicit methodology for toolpath generation that incorporates functional responses, using level sets of field functions to dictate the toolpath, allowing for the creation of objects with tailored physical properties by computing layer boundaries, perimeter shells, and volumetric infill based on user-selected field functions, such as stress or strain fields.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If explicit geometric transforms are used for slicing, then the slicing process is computationally efficient and straightforward, but the resulting components lack tailored functional properties such as mechanical stress distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the slicing approach from explicit geometric transforms to implicit level-set methods, fundamentally changing the mathematical parameters used to define slice boundaries. This allows functional fields (stress, strain, temperature) to dictate the slicing geometry, enabling components with optimized functional properties while maintaining computational feasibility through gradient-based optimization methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional geometric-mechanical slicing system with a field-based implicit representation system. Instead of using explicit geometric transforms and polygon offsetting, the invention uses level-set methods where slice boundaries are defined as contours of implicit scalar fields, allowing functional responses to directly influence the toolpath generation.
2Manufacturing precision
If polygon offsetting is used to calculate perimeters, then the boundary geometry can be determined, but the method becomes non-trivial and complex when offset distance increases causing polygon subdivision
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces implicit scalar fields as an intermediary between the desired boundary geometry and the slicing process. Instead of directly computing polygon offsets, the method uses level-set functions where the boundary is represented as the zero-level contour of an implicit function, simplifying the handling of complex geometries and avoiding polygon subdivision issues.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the traditional slicing approach by instead of computing boundaries from geometric transforms, it defines boundaries as level sets of implicit fields. This inversion allows the use of gradient-based methods and level-set evolution to naturally handle complex boundary geometries without the computational complexity of polygon offsetting.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional slicing methods are used, then the process is straightforward, but the infill calculation is greatly complicated by non-convex geometry and polygon subdivision
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the geometric-mechanical infill calculation system with a field-based implicit representation. Infill regions are defined as level sets of implicit scalar fields, allowing gradient-based optimization to naturally handle non-convex geometries and eliminate the complications of polygon subdivision while maintaining computational tractability.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for flexible functionally tailorable slicing for additive manufacturing includes the steps of receiving and parsing an input model of an object to be additively manufactured; reconstructing a domain boundary of the object; computing individual layer boundaries of the object; constructing, for each layer, layer domains from respective enclosing boundaries; computing, for each layer, a perimeter shell and a volumetric infill by finding level sets of a field function selected by a user; collecting and arranging into a coherent sequence each perimeter shell and volumetric infill; and formatting the coherent sequence as motion commands for an additive manufacturing system.