Apparatus and method for additive manufacturing
First Claim
1. An apparatus for additive manufacturing comprising:
- at least one processor operatively configured to;
generate instructions usable by a 3D printer to build an article that specify that a deposition head of the 3D printer deposits material in a plurality of successive layers to form a first side wall surface and a second side wall surface of the article, wherein the first side wall surface is different from the second side wall surface, such that the at least one processor is configured to;
receive a 3D model of the article;
determine a first angular orientation of the first side wall surface of the article from the 3D model as an average of two or more angles at portions of the first wall surface;
determine portions of the generated instructions effective for rotating a deposition axis of the deposition head of the 3D printer at a first angle to provide material adjacent to the first side wall surface based at least in part on the determined first angular orientation;
determine a second angular orientation of the second side wall surface of the article from the 3D model;
determine portions of the generated instructions effective for rotating the deposition axis of the deposition head of the 3D printer at a second angle to provide material adjacent to the second side wall surface based at least in part on the determined second angular orientation, wherein the first and second angles are different; and
determine portions of the generated instructions effective for rotating the deposition axis of the deposition head of the 3D printer at intermediate angles between the first angle and the second angle to deposit material along a deposition path between the first and second side wall surfaces that is not a wall surface, based at least in part on interpolating between the first angle and the second angle for positions along the deposition path between the first and second side wall surfaces, and such that the deposition head of the 3D printer continuously deposits material along the deposition path from the first side wall surface, to between the first and second side wall surfaces, and to the second side wall surface at the first angle, the intermediate angles, and the second angle respectively.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A component of a computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) system may be configured to cause a processor to generate instructions that specify how a 3D-printer additively builds an article on a build plate via depositing material from a deposition head. The 3D printer is configured to cause the deposition head to rotate in order to selectively change, an angle of a deposition axis at which the deposition head outputs material. The generated instructions specify how the deposition head is operated by the 3D printer to build the article on the build plate such that material deposited along a side wall surface of the article is provided by the deposition head having its deposition axis orientated at an angle determined based at least in part on an angular orientation of the side wall surface.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. An apparatus for additive manufacturing comprising:
at least one processor operatively configured to; generate instructions usable by a 3D printer to build an article that specify that a deposition head of the 3D printer deposits material in a plurality of successive layers to form a first side wall surface and a second side wall surface of the article, wherein the first side wall surface is different from the second side wall surface, such that the at least one processor is configured to; receive a 3D model of the article; determine a first angular orientation of the first side wall surface of the article from the 3D model as an average of two or more angles at portions of the first wall surface; determine portions of the generated instructions effective for rotating a deposition axis of the deposition head of the 3D printer at a first angle to provide material adjacent to the first side wall surface based at least in part on the determined first angular orientation; determine a second angular orientation of the second side wall surface of the article from the 3D model; determine portions of the generated instructions effective for rotating the deposition axis of the deposition head of the 3D printer at a second angle to provide material adjacent to the second side wall surface based at least in part on the determined second angular orientation, wherein the first and second angles are different; and determine portions of the generated instructions effective for rotating the deposition axis of the deposition head of the 3D printer at intermediate angles between the first angle and the second angle to deposit material along a deposition path between the first and second side wall surfaces that is not a wall surface, based at least in part on interpolating between the first angle and the second angle for positions along the deposition path between the first and second side wall surfaces, and such that the deposition head of the 3D printer continuously deposits material along the deposition path from the first side wall surface, to between the first and second side wall surfaces, and to the second side wall surface at the first angle, the intermediate angles, and the second angle respectively. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for additive manufacturing comprising:
through operation of at least one processor; generating instructions usable by a 3D printer to build an article that specify that a deposition head of the 3D printer deposits material in a plurality of successive layers to form a first side wall surface and a second side wall surface of the article, including; receiving a 3D model of the article; determining a first angular orientation of the first side wall surface of the article from the 3D model as an average of two or more angles at portions of the first wall surface; determining portions of the generated instructions effective for rotating a deposition axis of the deposition head of the 3D printer at a first angle to provide material adjacent to the first side wall surface based at least in part on the determined first angular orientation; determining a second angular orientation of the second side wall surface of the article from the 3D model; determining portions of the generated instructions effective for rotating the deposition axis of the deposition head of the 3D printer at a second angle to provide material adjacent to the second side wall surface based at least in part on the determined second angular orientation, wherein the first and second angles are different; and determining portions of the generated instructions effective for rotating the deposition axis of the deposition head of the 3D printer at intermediate angles between the first angle and the second angle to deposit material along a deposition path between the first and second side wall surfaces that is not a wall surface, based at least in part on interpolating between the first angle and the second angle for positions along the deposition path between the first and second side wall surfaces that are not wall surfaces, and such that the deposition head of the 3D printer continuously deposits material along the deposition path from the first side wall surface, to between the first and second side wall surfaces, and to the second side wall surface at the first angle, the intermediate angles, and the second angle respectively. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with executable instructions that when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out a method comprising:
generating instructions usable by a 3D printer to build an article that specify that a deposition head of the 3D printer deposits material in a plurality of successive layers to form a first side wall surface and a second side wall surface of the article, including; receiving a 3D model of the article; determining a first angular orientation of the first side wall surface of the article from the 3D model as an average of two or more angles at portions of the first wall surface; determining portions of the generated instructions effective for rotating a deposition axis of the deposition head of the 3D printer at a first angle to provide material adjacent to the first side wall surface based at least in part on the determined first angular orientation; determining a second angular orientation of the second side wall surface of the article from the 3D model; determining portions of the generated instructions effective for rotating the deposition axis of the deposition head of the 3D printer at a second angle to provide material adjacent to the second side wall surface based at least in part on the determined second angular orientation, wherein the first and second angles are different; and determining portions of the generated instructions effective for rotating the deposition axis of the deposition head of the 3D printer at intermediate angles between the first angle and the second angle to deposit material along a deposition path between the first and second side wall surfaces that is not a wall surface, based at least in part on interpolating between the first angle and the second angle for positions along the deposition path between the first and second side wall surfaces, and such that the deposition head of the 3D printer continuously deposits material along the deposition path from the first side wall surface, to between the first and second side wall surfaces, and to the second side wall surface at the first angle, the intermediate angles, and the second angle respectively.
Specification