Optimizing Material Deposition Direction for Functional Internal Architecture in Additive Manufacturing Processes

One of the major constraints of additive manufacturing processes is its relatively slower speed. Higher throughput is achieved by using newer and better hardware which is limited under many circumstances. Better additive manufacturing process plan algorithm to expedite the process is quick and easy to implement. Current material deposition techniques are primarily differentiated into fine contours and course infill deposition for faster build time. However, the internal architecture of the part cannot be ignored in functional and free-form objects. A free-form object with internal feature can be decomposed into two dimensional layers with islands where each island represents an associated feature's properties. The material deposition path-plan in such multi-contour layers can be interrupted by frequent directional changes. Dealing with these interruptions during fabrication requires more resources and may affect the part's integrity, quality, and build time. This research aims to minimize such interruptions in the decomposed slices for layer based additive manufacturing by focusing on deposition direction. A computational algorithm is proposed for the free form object with or without internal hollow feature that quantifies the deposition direction considering the feature geometry and building time. Moreover, a new filling pattern is proposed following the optimal deposition direction. The proposed algorithm to optimize the deposition direction will improve the process plan for objects containing internal hollow features.