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

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.

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.