Self-modifying agitation process and apparatus for support removal in additive manufacturing and 3D printed material

A method of removing support material from a part, comprising:

• determining a first set of parameters of a media arranged within a chamber;
• subjecting a part with support material to said media having said first set of parameters over a first time interval;
• wherein an effect said media has on said part over said first time interval is compared to a computer-generated model of said part to determine an amount of support material which remains attached to said part;
• determining a second set of parameters of said media prior to the end of said first time interval;
• subjecting said part with support material to said media having said second set of parameters over a second time interval, said second time interval being shorter than said first time interval;
• repeating said method over a plurality of consecutive time intervals until a run time for said method has been reached;
• and,
• removing said part from said media after said run time for said method has been reached.

An apparatus for removal of support material from a 3D printed part, comprising:

• a chamber for containing a fluid media;
• an agitator operative to agitate the fluid media;
• a part sensor operative to monitor an effect said fluid media has on the 3D printed part over a time interval;
• and
• a control unit configured to be responsive to an output of the part sensor and based on an amount of support material remaining on the 3D printed part determined from said output and a computer-generated model of the 3D printed part operative to determine a change in an operating parameter, and further said control unit configured to apply said change in the operating parameter to operation of the apparatus.