DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF MATERIALS WITH DESIRED CHARACTERISTICS FROM BASE MATERIALS HAVING DETERMINED CHARACTERISTICS

• US 20140046469A1
• Filed: 10/21/2013
• Published: 02/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Bickel, Bernd, Matusik, Wojciech, Otaduy, Miguel A., Gross, Markus, Pfister, Hanspeter
• Granted Patent: US 9,623,608 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/106
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/386 Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/00 Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/08 Probabilistic or stochastic CAD
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2119/18 Manufacturability analysis or optimisation for manufacturability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]

Abstract

In an object generation system, consumable base materials are characterized in a characterization process wherein an object generation system can use a plurality of so-characterized base materials. User input representing a desired object and set of characteristics for that desired object are processed, using a computer or computing device, to derive a mapping of locations for placement of portions of the plurality of base materials such that when the mapping is provided to an object generator, the generated object approximates the representing a desired object and set of characteristics. The characterization of a base material might include elasticity of the base material, the user input might be a desired shape and elasticity, the object generator might be a 3D multi-material printer and the generated object might at least approximate the desired shape and elasticity as a result of being constructed from the plurality of base materials used by the printer.

Claims

1. A method, using a computer, for generating a recipe for generating a physical object, the method comprising:

determining material characteristics of a plurality of base materials;

determining a desired set of characteristics for the object to be generated, wherein one of the set of characteristics is material dependent;

calculating locations of portions of a plurality of base materials that at least approximate the desired set of characteristics for the object to be generated; and

outputting instructions for generating an object from located portions of the plurality of base materials.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating locations of a plurality of base materials comprises:

generating a data structure corresponding to a search space over a space representative of combinations of at least two of the plurality of base materials having differing characteristics, the data structure identifying at least an initial position and a second position; and

selecting one of the initial and second positions from the data structure, wherein the design identifies locations for portions of the plurality of base materials.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the initial position comprises first locations of portions of a plurality of base materials and the second position comprises second locations of portions of a plurality of base materials.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein selecting a design from the data structure further comprises:

estimating a prospective set of characteristics that would result from an object made according to the combination of the plurality of base materials corresponding to the initial position; and

comparing the prospective set of characteristics with the desired set of characteristics.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein selecting a design from the data structure further comprises:

estimating a prospective set of characteristics that would result from an object made according to the combination of the plurality of base materials corresponding to the second position; and

comparing the prospective set of characteristics with the desired set of characteristics.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein selecting a design from the data structure further comprises:

identifying a selection criteria; and

selecting one of the initial and second positions according to the selection criteria.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a desired set of characteristics for the object to be generated comprises:

identifying a physical object for replication; and

determining a set of characteristics of the physical object, wherein one of the set of characteristics of the physical object is material dependent.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the one of the set of characteristics of the physical object comprises one of a deflection and a reflection.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the material characteristics of the plurality of base materials and the desired set of characteristics for the object to be generated include one or more of density, elasticity, heat conduction, heat capacity, and/or hardness.

10. A system for generating a physical object with a desired set of characteristics from a combination of a plurality of base materials not having characteristics exactly matching the desired set of characteristics, the system comprising:

memory comprising data representing the characteristics of the plurality of base materials;

memory comprising programming instructions;

a processor, coupled to the memory comprising data representing the characteristics of the plurality of base materials and the memory comprising the programming instructions, the processor configured to;

determine material characteristics of a plurality of base materials;

determine a desired set of characteristics for the object to be generated, wherein one of the set of characteristics is material dependent;

calculate locations of portions of a plurality of base materials that at least approximate the desired set of characteristics for the object to be generated; and

output instructions for generating an object from located portions of the plurality of base materials;

a source of the base materials used for a search space solution; and

a three-dimensional, computer-controlled printer for generating the physical object by placement of the base materials according, at least approximately, to the output instructions.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein calculating locations of a plurality of base materials comprises:

generating a data structure corresponding to a search space over a space representative of combinations of at least two of the plurality of base materials having differing characteristics, the data structure identifying at least an initial position and a second position; and

selecting one of the initial and second positions from the data structure, wherein the design identifies locations for portions of the plurality of base materials.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the initial position comprises first locations of portions of a plurality of base materials and the second position comprises second locations of portions of a plurality of base materials.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein selecting a design from the data structure further comprises:

estimating a prospective set of characteristics that would result from an object made according to the combination of the plurality of base materials corresponding to the initial position; and

comparing the prospective set of characteristics with the desired set of characteristics.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein selecting a design from the data structure further comprises:

estimating a prospective set of characteristics that would result from an object made according to the combination of the plurality of base materials corresponding to the second position; and

comparing the prospective set of characteristics with the desired set of characteristics.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein selecting a design from the data structure further comprises:

identifying a selection criteria; and

selecting one of the initial and second positions according to the selection criteria.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein determining a desired set of characteristics for the object to be generated comprises:

identifying a physical object for replication; and

determining a set of characteristics of the physical object, wherein one of the set of characteristics of the physical object is material dependent.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the one of the set of characteristics of the physical object comprises one of a deflection and a reflection.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the material characteristics of the plurality of base materials and the desired set of characteristics for the object to be generated include one or more of density, elasticity, heat conduction, heat capacity, and/or hardness.