Voxel Printing Direction Selection for Smooth Edges

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing printing technologies face challenges in producing objects with smooth edges, sides, and faces due to irregularities caused by air flow and incorrect trajectory of marking material during the printing process, especially for objects with steep features.

Innovation Solution

The method involves selecting a movement direction for each voxel based on its position in the object, allowing for multi-directional printing modes like bi-directional or quarto-directional, where the direction is chosen to oppose the normal vector of the surface, ensuring that marking material is deposited internally and reducing crumpling, and randomly distributing movement directions to avoid irregularities.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If a mono-directional or bi-directional print mode is used with fixed movement directions, then the printing process is simple and fast, but the edges, sides, and faces of the printed object become irregular and crumpled

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesmoothness of edges, sides, and facesVSAvoidcomplexity of printing process control

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies dynamics by making the movement direction of the print head variable rather than fixed. The system dynamically adjusts the movement direction based on the normal vector of each voxel's surface, allowing the printing process to adapt to different geometries and achieve smooth edges and faces while maintaining process feasibility

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies local quality by assigning different movement directions to different voxels based on their local surface orientation (normal vector). Each voxel is printed with a movement direction specifically tailored to its position and surface geometry, ensuring local optimization of edge and face smoothness throughout the entire object

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Productivity

If the print head moves quickly to maintain productivity, then air flow causes marking material to crumble from steep edges and faces, but slowing down reduces productivity

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprinting speedVSAvoidregularity of steep edges, sides, and faces

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary anti-action by pre-calculating and selecting appropriate movement directions for each voxel before printing begins. By anticipating the potential for material crumbling due to air flow and selecting optimal directions in advance, the system prevents irregularities on steep surfaces without requiring slower printing speeds

Inventive Principle:

Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

Data Source

PatentUS10281904B2Method for printing a plurality of voxels of an object

Publication Date: 2019.05.07 CANON PRODUCTION PRINTING NETHERLANDS BV

AI summary

The present invention relates to a method for printing a plurality of voxels of an object in a plurality of passes of a print head of a printing system over a substrate, each pass having a movement direction of the print head relative to the substrate while ejecting marking material from the print head towards the substrate, each voxel having a position in the object, the method comprising the steps of for each voxel of the object selecting a movement direction of the print head based on the position of the voxel in the object, selecting at least one pass in which the voxel will be printed, the at least one pass having a movement direction which corresponds to the selected movement direction of the print head, and printing the voxel in the selected at least one pass. The present invention also relates to a printing system configured to execute the method.