System and method for planning support removal in hybrid manufacturing with the aid of a digital computer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11537104-B2
Application number	US-202117174734-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 12, 2021
Priority date	Dec 29, 2017
Publication date	Dec 27, 2022
Grant date	Dec 27, 2022

Abstract

Parameters of a set of tools are stored on a storage device. The tools are part of a manufacturing assembly usable for removing one or more support structures from a part. The support structures are formed with the part to facilitate additive manufacturing of the part. A near-net shape is modeled which includes the part combined with the support structures. A process plan is developed that includes subtractive manufacturing operations by the manufacturing assembly that remove the support structures. The process plan repeatedly updates the near-net shape as each one of the support structures is incrementally removed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
storing parameters of a set of tools of a manufacturing assembly usable for removing one or more support structures from a part, the support structures formed with the part to facilitate additive manufacturing of the part;
modeling a near-net shape comprising the part combined with the support structures; and
developing a process plan comprising subtractive manufacturing operations by the manufacturing assembly that remove the support structures, wherein the process plan repeatedly updates the near-net shape as each one of the support structures is incrementally removed.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the process plan removes only those parts of the support structures that are in contact with the part.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein developing the process plan comprises:
representing a set of states, each state identifying an orientation of the manufacturing assembly and describing the near-net shape with selected ones of the support structures that remain at the state, with one of the states representing an initial state;
representing a set of actions, each action describing one of the orientations of the manufacturing assembly and describing removal of at least one of the support structures from the near-net shape;
starting at the initial state, repetitively transitioning from one of the states to another of the states by choosing one of the actions as guided by a cost constraint function until a goal condition is satisfied; and
using the chosen actions to form the process plan.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein each of the orientations of the set of states is selected from a limited set of total orientations, the limited set of total orientations reducing a deviation of the tools from a surface normal of the part.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the reducing the deviation of the tools from the surface normal of the part minimizes scalloping of the part.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein a greedy algorithm is used to plan the incremental removal of the support structures from the near-net shape.

7. A system comprising:
a storage device that stores a model of a part and parameters of a set of tools of a manufacturing assembly usable for removing one or more support structures from the part, the support structures formed with the part to facilitate additive manufacturing of the part; and
a processor and memory coupled to the storage device and operable to perform steps comprising:
modeling a near-net shape comprising the part combined with the support structures; and
developing a process plan comprising subtractive manufacturing operations by the manufacturing assembly that remove the support structures, wherein the process plan repeatedly updates the near-net shape as each one of the support structures is incrementally removed.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the process plan removes only those parts of the support structures that are in contact with the part.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein developing the process plan comprises:
representing a set of states, each state identifying an orientation of the manufacturing assembly and describing the near-net shape with selected ones of the support structures that remain at the state, with one of the states representing an initial state;
representing a set of actions, each action describing one of the orientations of the manufacturing assembly and describing removal of at least one of the support structures from the near-net shape;
starting at the initial state, repetitively transitioning from one of the states to another of the states by choosing one of the actions as guided by a cost constraint function until a goal condition is satisfied; and
using the chosen actions to form the process plan.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein each of the orientations of the set of states is selected from a limited set of total orientations, the limited set of total orientations reducing a deviation of the tools from a surface normal of the part.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the reducing the deviation of the tools from the surface normal of the part minimizes scalloping of the part.

12. The system of claim 7 , wherein a greedy algorithm is used to plan the incremental removal of the support structures from the near-net shape.

13. A method comprising:
storing parameters of a machining tool assembly usable for removing one or more support structures from a part, the support structures formed with the part to facilitate additive manufacturing of the part;
representing a set of states, each state identifying an orientation of the machining tool assembly and describing a near-net shape comprising the part combined with selected ones of the support structures that remain at the state, with one of the states representing an initial state;
representing a set of actions, each action describing one of the orientations of the machining tool assembly and describing removal of at least one of the support structures from the near-net shape;
starting at the initial state, repetitively transitioning from one of the states to another of the states by choosing one of the actions as guided by a cost constraint function until a goal condition is satisfied; and
using the chosen actions to form a process plan comprising subtractive manufacturing operations used by the machining tool assembly to remove the support structures.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein each of the orientations of the set of states is selected from a limited set of total orientations, the limited set of total orientations reducing a deviation of the machining tool assembly from a surface normal of the part.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the reducing the deviation of the machining tool assembly from the surface normal of the part minimizes scalloping of the part.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the cost constraint function minimizes a time to perform to perform the operations by the machining tool assembly.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the cost constraint function maximizes a surface finish of the part.

18. The method of claim 13 , wherein choosing one of the actions as guided by the cost constraint function comprises using an A* algorithm.

19. The method of claim 13 , wherein a greedy algorithm is used to plan the removal of the at least one of the support structures from the near-net shape.

20. The method of claim 13 , wherein each action removes only those parts of the support structures that are in contact with the part.

Assignees

• Palo Alto Res Ct Inc

Inventors

• Nelaturi Saigopal
• Behandish Morad

Classifications

• G05B2219/35204

  Planning, generic process planning · CPC title

• G05B2219/49038

  Support help, grid between support and prototype, separate easily · CPC title

• B29C64/40

  Structures for supporting 3D objects during manufacture and intended to be sacrificed after completion thereof · CPC title

• G05B19/4099 Primary

  Surface or curve machining, making three-dimensional [3D] objects, e.g. desktop manufacturing · CPC title

• G05B2219/40519

  Motion, trajectory planning · CPC title