Region-Based Supports for Parts Produced by Solid Freeform Fabrication
First Claim
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1. A method of supporting on a build pad a part formed by solid freeform fabrication (SFF), comprising:
- defining a plurality of layers that make up the part;
for at least one layer, determining regions that require support by determining one or more portions of the layer that are self-supporting;
merging regions of different layers into one or more common regions for the part; and
providing at least one support for the one or more common regions.
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Abstract
Methods for generating supports (30) for parts (50) produced by solid freeform fabrication (“SFF”) are disclosed. The method includes defining a plurality of layers (L) that make up the part, and for each layer, determining those regions (R) that require support. The method also includes merging the regions for the different layers (L) into one or more common regions that require support, and providing at least one support for each of the one or more common regions. The result is that fewer supports are used as compared to conventional SFF fabrication methods.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method of supporting on a build pad a part formed by solid freeform fabrication (SFF), comprising:
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defining a plurality of layers that make up the part; for at least one layer, determining regions that require support by determining one or more portions of the layer that are self-supporting; merging regions of different layers into one or more common regions for the part; and providing at least one support for the one or more common regions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of determining one or more geometries for one or more supports for a part produced by solid freeform fabrication, the method comprising:
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determining a general surface of the part to which the one or more supports join to the part; dividing the surface into a plurality of regions that require at least one support; and calculating a cross-sectional area of the at least one support for the region that contacts the part based upon a ratio of a size of the region to a size of the cross-sectional area. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of generating support structures for a three-dimensional part formed by solid freeform fabrication relative to a build pad, comprising the steps of:
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slicing a part model to generate part voxels; creating two-dimensional layer data and pixel data from the part voxels; determining support anchor locations from the layer data and pixel data; creating support voxels; and generating the support structures on the build pad based on the support voxels. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification