Designing for Feature Preservation and Build Improvement in Fused Deposition Manufacture
Abstract A common problem facing designers utilizing Solid Freeform Fabrication techniques is the divergence between expected designs and obtained components. The causes range from processing issues (warpage and shrinkage) to discretization issues (reduction of 3-D components to 2-D or 1-D tool path plans). This problem is further compounded when post-processing issues (binder removal and sintering) are added on for applications like ceramic and metal part manufacture. Utilizing the build procedure to ensure that the part is built as expected is useful in reducing the time to manufacture. In addition, the preservation of features and resolution of feature conflict can be addressed. In this paper we specifically look at the toolpath generation procedures for Fused Deposition to extract information regarding the loss or alteration in original features. Further, we use this information to preserve, alter or resolve features. Due to the build procedures, the problems are inherently 2-dimensional in nature.