Computational quality measures for evaluation of part orientation in freeform fabrication

Abstract Parts formed using freeform fabrication processes can vary significantly in quality depending on the orientation of the workpiece during manufacture. This paper presents four measures of quality for three performance measures in which this occurs, along with computational methods for computing their expected effects on faceted representations of a workpiece. The optimization of these quality measures is an important step in the automation of manufacturing straight from CAD models. The quality metrics developed quantify build time, material strength, and surface approximation error as functions of part orientation. A series of experiments performed on polycarbonate tensile specimens produced with selective laser sintering (SLS) shows how significant orientation can be. Although SLS and selective area laser deposition (SALD) are used in the examples, the measures are applicable to other technologies as well. A preliminary investigation into the optimization of orientation with these measures is discussed, showing how properties of the measures developed can be used to generate trial orientations for the global optimization problem where several measures are combined.

[1]  R. Crawford,et al.  Solid Freeform Fabrication: A New Direction in Manufacturing , 1997 .

[2]  Seth Allen,et al.  On the Computation Of Part Orientation Using Support Structures in Layered Manufacturing , 1994 .

[3]  S. Wolf,et al.  Silicon Processing for the VLSI Era , 1986 .

[4]  David J. Whitehouse,et al.  Handbook of Surface Metrology , 2023 .

[5]  Stephen W. Tsai,et al.  A General Theory of Strength for Anisotropic Materials , 1971 .

[6]  S. Taylor,et al.  Multicriterion optimization in engineering: Andrzej Osyczka. John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1984 , 1985 .

[7]  Alfonso Fuggetta,et al.  Process Technology , 1998, Springer US.

[8]  T. C. Woo,et al.  Spherical Maps: Their Construction, Properties, and Approximation , 1994 .

[9]  C. Griffin,et al.  Solid Freeform Fabrication of Functional Ceramic Components Using a Laminated Object Manufacturing Technique , 1994 .

[10]  Margaret J. Robertson,et al.  Design and Analysis of Experiments , 2006, Handbook of statistics.

[11]  Isaac M Daniel,et al.  Engineering Mechanics of Composite Materials , 1994 .

[12]  Kai Tang,et al.  Maximum Intersection of Spherical Polygons and Workpiece Orientation for 4- and 5-Axis Machining , 1992 .

[13]  Tony C. Woo,et al.  Visibility maps and spherical algorithms , 1994, Comput. Aided Des..

[14]  H. L. Marcus,et al.  Advances in Selective Area Laser Deposition of Silicon Carbide , 1994 .

[15]  T. C. Woo,et al.  Computational Geometry on the Sphere With Application to Automated Machining , 1992 .

[16]  Joel W. Barlow,et al.  Effect of Processing Parameters In SLS Of Metal-Polymer Powders , 1995 .

[17]  R. Cook,et al.  Concepts and Applications of Finite Element Analysis , 1974 .

[18]  R. Merz,et al.  Shape Deposition Manufacturing , 1994 .

[19]  Michael J. Cima,et al.  Microstructural Elements of Components Derived from 3D Printing , 1992 .

[20]  Stephen W. Tsai,et al.  Three-Dimensional Effective Moduli of Orthotropic and Symmetric Laminates , 1992 .

[21]  N. K. Vail,et al.  Modeling of Polymer Degradation in SLS , 1994 .

[22]  James W. Comb,et al.  FDM® Technology Process Improvements , 1994 .

[23]  Michael J. Wozny,et al.  Integration of a Solid Freeform Fabrication Process into a Feature-Based CAD System Environment , 1995 .

[24]  Steven P. Michaels,et al.  Metal Parts Generation by Three Dimensional Printing , 1992 .

[25]  Dennis W. King Statistical Quality Design and Control , 1993 .

[26]  R. I. Campbell,et al.  Rapid Prototyping: A Global View , 1994 .

[27]  F. AubinAustin A World Wide Assessment of Rapid Prototyping Technologies , 1994 .

[28]  Joseph J. Beaman,et al.  Solid Freeform Fabrication An Advanced Manufacturing Approach , 1990 .