3D Print Slice Adjustment Using Meso-Skeleton Feature Sizing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Additive manufacturing technologies face challenges in printing complex shapes with small features due to minimum printable feature size limitations, leading to poor quality or failed prints, as existing methods fail to accurately account for manufacturing constraints during the design stage.
Innovation Solution
A method that divides a 3D object into slices, applies a thinning algorithm to form a meso-skeleton, and adjusts each slice to a slice-specific printable feature size, ensuring the print head can traverse the maximal allowable region, thereby modifying the design to be manufacturable while preserving topologically and geometrically important features.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If additive manufacturing is used to print complex shapes with small features, then design complexity and geometric fidelity are improved, but manufacturing reliability deteriorates due to minimum printable feature size limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing model correction and meso-skeleton computation before the actual printing process. The system analyzes the 3D model, identifies features smaller than the minimum printable size, and modifies them in advance to ensure manufacturability while preserving the overall complex shape fidelity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by computing a meso-skeleton that identifies specific regions of the model requiring modification. Different parts of the model receive different treatments - critical small features are thickened or modified locally, while larger features maintain their original geometry, thus preserving overall shape fidelity while ensuring local manufacturability.
2Reliability
If the minimum printable feature size is increased to ensure manufacturing reliability, then printing failures are reduced, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to loss of small feature details
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary analysis to identify which small features are critical to the model's functionality and topology. By computing the meso-skeleton and analyzing feature importance beforehand, the system can selectively modify only those features that would cause printing failures, rather than uniformly increasing all feature sizes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by dynamically adjusting the effective feature size based on local geometric and topological importance. The meso-skeleton computation provides a continuous field that guides where and how much to modify features, allowing the system to maintain small feature precision where critical while ensuring manufacturability where less critical.
3Reliability
If extensive model modifications are made to ensure manufacturability, then manufacturing reliability is improved, but design fidelity deteriorates due to shape alterations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent minimizes modifications by applying changes only locally where necessary. The meso-skeleton-based approach identifies specific regions requiring adjustment and leaves the rest of the model unchanged, thus preserving overall design fidelity while ensuring manufacturability of critical features.
Solution Approach 2:
By performing preliminary meso-skeleton computation and feature analysis, the system can plan modifications strategically to achieve manufacturability with minimal changes. The approach allows visualization and control of modifications before execution, ensuring that design intent is preserved.
4Manufacturing precision
If variable deposition size is used to accommodate different feature sizes, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases due to dynamic parameter adjustment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves device complexity by performing all analysis and determination of variable deposition parameters in advance, before the actual printing process. The meso-skeleton computation and feature importance analysis are completed during model preparation, generating a roadmap that guides the printer without requiring complex real-time adjustments during printing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the model into regions with different feature size requirements based on the meso-skeleton analysis. This allows the printing process to be segmented into different parameter regimes, with each region using optimized deposition parameters determined in advance, simplifying the control strategy.
Data Source
AI summary
A three-dimensional object model is divided into slices that are targeted for an additive manufacturing process operable to deposit material at a variable deposition size ranging between minimum and maximum printable feature sizes. For each of the slices, a thinning algorithm is applied to contours of the slice to form a meso-skeleton. Topological features of the thinned slice are reduced over a number of passes such that a portion of the meso-skeleton is reduced to a single pixel wide line. Based on the number of passes, a slice-specific printable feature size within the range of the minimum and maximum printable feature sizes is determined. An adjusted slice is formed by sweeping the meso-skeleton with the slice-specific printable feature size. The adjusted slices are assembled into an object model which is used to create a manufactured object.