US 10,359,764 B1Granted

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

AssigneePalo Alto Research Center Incorporated

InventorsSaigopal Nelaturi, Morad Behandish

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Abstract

Algorithmic reasoning about a cutting tool assembly's space of feasible configurations can be effectively harnessed to construct a sequence of motions that guarantees a collision-free path for the tool assembly to remove each support structure in the sequence. A greedy algorithm models the motion of the cutting tool assembly through the free-spaces around the intermediate shapes of the part as the free-spaces iteratively reduce in size to the near-net shape to determine feasible points of contact for the cutting tool assembly. Each support beam is evaluated for a contact feature along the boundary of the near-net shape that constitutes a feasible point of contact. If a support beam has at least one feasible configuration at each point, the support beam is deemed ‘accessible’ and a collection of tool assembly configurations that are guaranteed to be non-colliding but which can access all points of contact of each accessible support beam can be generated.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A system for planning support removal in hybrid manufacturing with the aid of a digital computer, comprising the steps of:

a computer, comprising:
a storage device, comprising:
parameters for a machining tool assembly, each parameter comprising orientations and positions of the machining tool assembly;
a model of a part defining surfaces and the interior of the part and one or more support structures that were added to the part during additive manufacturing;
and
a near-net shape initially modeled as the part combined with the support structures;
and
a processor and memory within which code for execution by the processor is stored to perform the steps comprising:
setting up a configuration space comprising geometric transformations that represent the spatial motions of the machining tool assembly based upon the machining tool assembly's parameters;
determining a manner of construction of each of the support structures to provide contact features at an intersection of the support structures and the part;
evaluating each of the support structures for the existence of a contact feature within free-space that is available within the configuration space around the near-net shape that comprises a feasible region of contact for the tool assembly to remove all of the support structures that are accessible from the near-net shape, wherein the support structure is added to a support removal sequence and the near-net shape is continually updated as each support structure is incrementally removed;
constructing for each of the support structures in the support removal sequence a set of collision-free contact configurations of the machining tool assembly at the contact feature, provided that contact features are found for all of the support structures;
creating process plans comprising machining operations by the machining tool assembly based upon the sets of collision-free contact configurations of the machining tool assembly for the support structures;
and
programming the machining tool assembly with the process plans and operating the machining tool assembly per the machining operations in the process plans by machining off the support structures.

12 more elements

A method for planning support removal in hybrid manufacturing with the aid of a digital computer, comprising the steps of:

providing a computer with parameters for a machining tool assembly, each parameter comprising orientations and positions of the machining tool assembly;
providing the computer with a model of a part defining surfaces and the interior of the part and one or more support structures that were added to the part during additive manufacturing and modeling a near-net shape with the computer initially as the part combined with the support structures;
setting up with the computer a configuration space comprising geometric transformations that represent the spatial motions of the machining tool assembly based upon the machining tool assembly's parameters;
determining with the computer a manner of construction of each of the support structures to provide contact features at an intersection of the support structures and the part;
evaluating each of the support structures with the computer for the existence of a contact feature within free-space that is available within the configuration space around the near-net shape that comprises a feasible region of contact for the tool assembly to remove all of the support structures that are accessible from the near-net shape, wherein the support structure is added to a support removal sequence and the near-net shape is continually updated as each support structure is incrementally removed;
constructing with the computer for each of the support structures in the support removal sequence a set of collision-free contact configurations of the machining tool assembly at the contact feature, provided that contact features are found for all of the support structures;
creating process plans comprising machining operations by the machining tool assembly with the computer based upon the sets of collision-free contact configurations of the machining tool assembly for the support structures;
and
programming the machining tool assembly with the computer with the process plans and operating the machining tool assembly per the machining operations in the process plans by machining off the support structures.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/858,520Filed 29 Dec 2017
Published: US 2019/0204807 A14 Jul 2019
Granted: 23 Jul 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification19 codes

G05B 19/4099
Characterised by using design data to control NC machines, e.g. CAD/CAM: surface or curve machining, making three-dimensional [3D] objects, e.g.…
B29C 64/393
Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing: for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
B29C 64/40
Additive manufacturing, i.e. manufacturing of three-dimensional [3D] objects by additive deposition, additive agglomeration or additive…
B33Y 50/00
Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing