Recursively Mapped Infill Geometry for Additive Manufacturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing additive manufacturing techniques struggle to efficiently produce complex geometries for sandwich panels, limiting their ability to achieve optimal strength-to-weight ratios.
Innovation Solution
A method is developed to generate a recursively mapped infill geometry for additively manufacturable parts, involving the use of base and target unit cell meshes, extrusion of quadrilateral elements to hexahedral elements, and recursive supercell mesh generation to produce a final recursively mapped unit cell mesh.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If traditional manufacturing techniques are used, then manufacturing process is simple, but geometry complexity is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing process is divided into discrete iterative steps: generating unit cell meshes, creating supercell structures, and mapping geometries. Each iteration builds upon the previous one, allowing complex geometries to be constructed from simpler components through systematic segmentation of the design space.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements nested unit cell structures where smaller unit cells are embedded within larger supercell geometries. This nesting approach allows multiple scales of complexity to be integrated, with base unit cells forming the foundation and recursively mapped supercells adding progressively complex features, enabling highly complex final geometries while maintaining manufacturability.
2Strength
If complex geometries are produced, then strength-to-weight ratio is improved, but manufacturing efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent systematically varies key parameters including unit cell size, supercell iteration depth, material distribution patterns, and geometric scaling factors. By optimizing these parameters, the design achieves high strength-to-weight ratios through controlled material placement while managing manufacturing complexity. The iterative mapping process allows parameter refinement at multiple scales to balance performance and efficiency.
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 allows for the creation of additively manufactured sandwich panels with improved strength-to-weight ratios and complex geometries that would be difficult to achieve with traditional manufacturing methods.
Implementation Method 1
generating a target hexahedral unit cell mesh including a plurality of target hexahedral elements at least in part by extruding the plurality of target quadrilateral elements
Data Source
AI summary
A method of generating a recursively mapped infill geometry for an additively manufacturable part. The method includes receiving a base unit cell mesh including a plurality of base quadrilateral elements. In each of a plurality of iterations, the method further includes receiving a target unit cell mesh including target quadrilateral elements. In each iteration, the method further includes generating a target hexahedral unit cell mesh including target hexahedral elements by extruding the target quadrilateral elements. In each of the iterations, the method further includes generating a recursive supercell mesh by mapping each of the base quadrilateral elements onto a target hexahedral element. If the current iteration is not a final iteration, the method further includes setting the recursive supercell mesh as the base unit cell mesh used in a subsequent iteration. The method further includes outputting a recursively mapped unit cell mesh including a final recursive supercell mesh.