Tessellated Additive Manufacturing File Format with Metadata Containers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current CAD output file formats for additive manufacturing, such as STL, lack watertightness, cannot associate metadata, and fail to reconstruct the original CAD model, limiting the precision and information retention of 3D printed objects.
Innovation Solution
A tessellated output file format is developed that includes mesh geometry data and metadata containers for vertices, curves, surfaces, volumes, and material information, allowing the recreation of the original CAD model and enhancing additive manufacturing processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If STL file format is used for additive manufacturing, then the object can be created from CAD model, but the object may have unintended openings or gaps and cannot reconstruct the original CAD model
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the CAD model information into distinct metadata containers organized by hierarchical levels (model-level, volume-level, surface-level, curve-level, vertex-level). Each container stores specific types of geometric and attribute information, allowing systematic preservation of all original CAD data while generating watertight mesh geometry for additive manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a comprehensive copy of the original CAD model information by generating metadata containers that replicate vertices, curves, surfaces, and volumes with their associated attributes. This copying mechanism preserves all original geometric data and enables exact reconstruction of the CAD model from the output file, eliminating information loss.
2Productivity
If STL file format is used for additive manufacturing, then the output file can be generated quickly, but metadata cannot be associated with the object
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary organization of CAD model data into structured metadata containers during the file generation process. By pre-organizing vertices, curves, surfaces, and volumes into hierarchical containers with defined relationships, the system preserves all metadata information efficiently without requiring post-processing, thus maintaining productivity while preventing information loss.
3Ease of manufacture
If mesh geometry data is generated from CAD model, then the object can be manufactured additively, but the original CAD model structure cannot be recovered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds a metadata dimension to the traditional mesh geometry output. By organizing CAD model information into hierarchical metadata containers that exist alongside the geometry data, the system enables both additive manufacturing (through mesh geometry) and precise CAD model reconstruction (through metadata), effectively operating in multiple data dimensions simultaneously.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of generating a tessellated output file comprising receiving a computer-aided design (CAD) model file defining a CAD model including a plurality of vertices, a plurality of curves, a plurality of surfaces, and at least one volume; generating base polygon data defining the CAD model for additive manufacturing, the base polygon data including a plurality of connected polygons, each polygon including a plurality of nodes, a plurality of edges, and a face; generating data for a vertex metadata container including a listing of CAD model vertices and one polygon node associated with each CAD model vertex; generating data for a curve metadata container including a listing of CAD model curves and at least one polygon edge associated with each CAD model curve; and generating data for a surface metadata container including a listing of CAD model surfaces and at least one polygon face associated with each CAD model surface.