System and method for optimizing tool paths based on thermal/structural simulations of a part being produced via a 3D-printer

A method comprising:

• through operation of at least one processor, carrying out a first simulation of a part being additively produced according to a first set of tool paths that correspond to instructions usable to drive a 3D-printer to move a laser to additively produce the part, including by:
• determining a mesh of the part that partitions the space of the part into a plurality of three dimensional (3D) elements;
• determining an order of the elements of the mesh to deposit for additively producing the part based on the first set of tool paths;
• simulating an incremental deposit of each of the elements of the mesh in the order that the elements are determined to be deposited, including determining for each incremental deposit of an additional respective element, thermal characteristics and structural deformation characteristics of the deposited elements, in which at least one of the respective elements is structurally modified prior to determining the thermal and structural deformation characteristics of the respective element so as to account for a volume change to the respective element resulting from structural deformation of at least one adjacent element determined from previously determined structural deformation characteristics;
• and
• selecting, from among the first set of tool paths and a second set of tool paths, to use to produce the part through the 3D-printer based on the first simulation of the part being additively produced according to the first set of tool paths.

A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising executable instructions that when executed, cause at least one processor to:

• carry out a first simulation of a part being additively produced according to a first set of tool paths that correspond to instructions usable to drive a 3D-printer to move a laser to additively produce the part, including by:
• determining a mesh of the part that is comprised of a plurality of three dimensional (3D) elements;
• determining an order of the elements of the mesh to deposit for additively producing the part based on the first set of tool paths;
• simulating an incremental deposit of each of the elements of the mesh in the order that the elements are determined to be deposited, including determining for each incremental deposit of an additional respective element, thermal characteristics and structural deformation characteristics of the deposited elements, in which at least one of the respective elements is structurally modified prior to determining the thermal and structural deformation characteristics of the respective element so as to account for a volume change to the respective element resulting from structural deformation of at least one adjacent element determined from previously determined structural deformation characteristics;
• and
• select, from among the first set of tool paths and a second set of tool paths, to use to produce the part through the 3D-printer based on the first simulation of the part being additively produced according to the first set of tool paths.