Hybrid support structures for additively printed parts

A system comprising

• a memory storing processor-executable instructions;
• and
• one or more processors to execute the processor-executable instructions to:
• receive a specification defining a model of a part to be produced by an additive manufacturing (AM) process;
• execute an AM simulation on the model of the part to determine a prediction of thermal distortions to the part due the AM process, the AM simulation to apply a thermal distortion analysis to the model to predict thermal distortion of the part without support and to derive boundary conditions for topology optimization (TO);
• divide, based on a) a geometry of the part, b) one or more rules related to geometric features of the geometry, and c) the prediction of thermal distortions from the AM simulation, regions of the part into one or more first regions to interface with TO supports and one ore more second regions to interface with rule-based supports;
• execute a TO based at least in part on a) the boundary conditions from the AM simulation and b) the one or more first regions of the part, to create TO supports for a given support volume that counteract the predicted thermal distortions;
• generate at least one rule-based support based on the one or more second regions;
• combine the TO supports and the at least one rule-based support to generate a set of hybrid supports;
• save a record of the set of hybrid supports;
• and
• transmit the record of the set of hybrid supports to an AM controller, the AM controller to control an AM system to generate a support structure for an AM production of the part,
• wherein the record of the set of hybrid supports is input into the AM simulation to at least one of refine or verify the set of hybrid supports.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer processor, cause the computer processor to perform a method comprising:

• receiving a specification defining a model of a part to be produced by an additive manufacturing (AM) process;
• executing an AM simulation on the model of the part, by the processor, to determine a prediction of thermal distortions to the part due the AM process, the AM simulation to apply a thermal distortion analysis to the model to predict thermal distortion of the part without support and to derive boundary conditions for topology optimization (TO);
• dividing, by the processor based on a) a geometry of the part, b) one or more rules related to geometric features of the geometry, and c) the prediction of thermal distortions from the AM simulation, regions of the part into one or more first regions to interface with TO supports and one or more second regions to interface with rule-based supports;
• executing a TO, by the processor, based at least in part on a) the boundary conditions from the AM simulation and b) the one or more first regions of the part, to create TO supports for a given support volume that counteract the predicted thermal distortions;
• generating, by the processor, at least one rule-based support based on the one or more second regions;
• combining, by the processor, the TO supports and the at least one rule-based support to generate a set of hybrid supports;
• saving a record of the set of hybrid supports;
• and
• transmitting the record of the set of hybrid supports to an AM controller, the AM controller to control an AM system to generate a support structure for an AM production of the part,
• wherein the record of the set of hybrid supports is input into the AM simulation to at least one of refine or verify the set of hybrid supports.