Hybrid manufacturing system and method that reduces inaccessible support structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11577321-B2
Application number	US-202017129765-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2020
Priority date	Dec 21, 2020
Publication date	Feb 14, 2023
Grant date	Feb 14, 2023

Abstract

A geometry model is defined of a part targeted for a manufacturing operation that includes an additive process followed by a subtractive process. Potential build orientations of the geometry model used in the additive processes are defined, as are one or more removal tools of the subtractive process. For each of the potential build orientations, supports that are used by the additive process at the orientation are determined. One of the build orientations is selected that minimizes portions of one of the supports that are inaccessible via at least one of the removal tools.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
defining a model of a part targeted for manufacturing by an additive process followed by a subtractive process;
defining a plurality of potential build orientations for the additive process,
wherein the plurality of the potential build orientations for the additive process are based on a plurality of build angles Θ build of the part relative to a build substrate or a build fixture, and
wherein Θ build ⊆SO3;
defining a set of one or more tools for the subtractive process;
for each orientation of the plurality of potential build orientations, determining support structures for the additive process;
selecting at least one of the plurality of potential build orientations with a minimal cost of portions of the support structures that are inaccessible by the set of one or more tools; and
using the at least one selected build orientation to build the part using the additive process and at least one tool in the set of tools for the subtractive process to remove the support structures.

2. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one selected build orientation jointly minimizes the cost of the portions of the support structures and a cost of all support structures.

3. The method of claim 2 ,
wherein the cost is based on a volume of the support structures.

4. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the selected build orientation is found using an inaccessibility measure field of the set of one or more tools for the subtractive process,
the model of the part and a model of the fixture used to secure the part and the supports during the subtractive process.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the inaccessibility measure field comprises a continuous spatial field that quantifies to what extent different points in a design domain cannot be accessed by the set of one or more tools for the subtractive process.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the set of one or more tools comprises a plurality of tools, and wherein the inaccessibility measure field is calculated as a minimum of inaccessibility measure fields for each tool of the plurality of tools.

7. The method of claim 6 ,
wherein the inaccessibility measure fields for the plurality of tools at every query point of the design domain are calculated as a minimum of inaccessibility measure for different configurations at which a query point can be removed by each tool of the plurality of tools.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the configurations over which the minimum is calculated comprise at least one of displacements that bring sharp points of the each tool in contact with the query point, and tool orientations that are available to each tool.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the inaccessibility measure is defined by a volume of collision between each tool and the model of the part and the model of a fixture used to secure the part and the supports during the subtractive process.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the set of one or more tools comprise two or more tools, the method further comprising for each of the potential build orientations, determining a set of selected tools of the two or more tools, the selected set of tools influencing the cost of the inaccessible portions of the support structures.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the selected build orientation is further selected based on jointly minimizing a cost associated with the set of tools for the subtractive process and the cost of the inaccessible portions of the support structures.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising for each of the potential build orientations, determining a selected fixture from a plurality of available fixtures on which to build the part, the selected fixture influencing the cost of the inaccessible portions of the support structures.

13. A method comprising:
defining a manufacturing operation for a part,

the manufacturing operation comprising an additive process followed by a subtractive process,
the subtractive process using a removal tool;
modeling the manufacturing operation for a plurality of potential build orientations of the additive process,
wherein the plurality of the potential build orientations for the additive process are based on a plurality of build angles Θ build of the part relative to a build substrate or a build fixture, and wherein Θ build ⊆SO3;
for each orientation of the plurality of potential build orientations, determining supports for the part that are used by the additive process at the orientation;
selecting one of the plurality of potential build orientations that reduces a cost of inaccessible portions of the supports; and
using the selected build orientation to build the part using the additive process and the removal tool of the subtractive process.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the selected build orientation is found using an inaccessibility measure field of the removal tool, the model, and a model of a fixture used to secure the part and the supports during the subtractive process.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the inaccessibility measure field comprises a continuous spatial field that quantifies to what extent different points in a design domain cannot be accessed by the removal tool for the subtractive process.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the removal tool comprises two or more removal tools, the method further comprising for each of the potential build orientations, determining a selected tool of the two or more removal tools, the selected tool influencing a measure of the inaccessible portions of the support structures.

Assignees

• Palo Alto Res Ct Inc

Inventors

• Mirzendehdel Amirmassoud
• Behandish Morad
• Nelaturi Saigopal

Classifications

• B22F2203/00

  Controlling · CPC title

• B22F10/385

  Overhang structures · CPC title

• B22F10/40 Primary

  Structures for supporting workpieces or articles during manufacture and removed afterwards · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B22F10/85

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title