Development of a stereolithography (STL) slicing and G-code generation algorithm for an entry level 3-D printer

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a method that creates physical objects layer by layer. This paper presents a prototype STereoLithography (STL) slicing and tool path generation algorithm, which serves as a data front-end for an entry level three-dimensional (3-D) printer. Used mainly in AM, 3-D printers are devices that apply plastic, ceramic and metal, layer by layer, in all three dimensions on a flat surface. 3-D printers, unfortunately, cannot actually print an object without a special algorithm, required to create the computer numerical control (CNC) instructions (commonly known as G-code) for printing. Therefore, the STL slicing and tool path algorithm forms a critical component for AM. The purpose of this study was to develop an algorithm that is capable of processing and slicing an STL file or multiple STL files resulting in a tool path and finally generating a G-code file for an entry level 3-D printer.