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Method for generating and building support structures with deposition-based digital manufacturing systems

  • US 8,983,643 B2
  • Filed: 01/15/2010
  • Issued: 03/17/2015
  • Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2010
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method for building a support structure with a deposition-based digital manufacturing system, the method comprising:

  • (a) providing an outer boundary polygon of a layer of the support structure;

    (b) generating a convex hull polygon based on the outer boundary polygon;

    (c) offsetting the convex hull polygon inward;

    (d) offsetting the outer boundary polygon outward toward the convex hull polygon;

    (e) generating an intersection boundary polygon based at least in part on intersections of the offset boundary polygon and the offset convex hull polygon;

    (f) repeating steps (b)-(e) for a plurality of successively lower layers of the support structure, wherein each generated intersection boundary polygon is provided as the boundary polygon for a next layer of the successively lower layers; and

    (g) building the support structure with the deposition-based digital manufacturing system based in part on tool path data from the generated intersection boundary polygons, wherein the built support structure has convex dimensions that reduce in complexity in a downward direction along a build axis such that the built support structure has a lower volume than that of a bulk support structure having vertical walls.

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