DATA PREPARATION FOR 3D PRINTING

Karali Patra
Professor, Dept of Mechanical
Engineering, IIT Patna
& PIC, FIST-TBI, IIT Patna
Module 2 (10 lectures)
 STL interface Specification, STL data generation, STL data
Manipulation, Advantages and limitations of STL file format, Open files,
Repair of STL files, 3D Printing interfaces
(in two lectures on 2nd June, 2022) -COMPLETED
 Part orientation and support generation, Factors affecting part
orientation, Various models for part orientation determination, The
function of part supports, Support structure design, Automatic support
structure generation. Model Slicing and Contour Data organization,
Direct and adaptive slicing: Identification of peak features, Adaptive
layer thickness determination, Tool path generation
(in two lectures on 3rd June, 2022)

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 Part Orientation
 The build orientation of an AM (Additive Manufacturing) part refers to the direction
that is orthogonal to the layers of the object being fabricated.
 In addition, the part orientation affects the support contact area, surface roughness,
build time and cost of the fabricated part

Figure 1 (a) T part needs the most support in this direction; (b) T part needs less support than
(a); (c) T part does not need support in this direction; (Black: parts; Green: support.)

 Figure illustrates a “T” example. The left needs the most support material (see Figure 1
a), followed by the example illustrated in Figure1 b, while Figure 1 c does not need any
support. However, different support orientations will influence the final printed
mechanical properties

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 Support Generation
 Why we need Support in FDM
 Different 3D printing technologies have different reasons for support structure
requirement.

 Some require such a structure to resist deformation or even collapse caused by

gravity as the fabrication of the component proceeds, or to tether parts so far
unconnected to the main body of the printed part during production.

 Support structures can also be used to mitigate against the effects caused by any
generated thermal gradients during the manufacturing process and shrinkage upon
solidification that are inherent within a large number of AM techniques.

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 Support Generation
 Why Need Support in FDM (contd…)
 This helps to reduce thermal distortion that can lead to cracking, curling, sag,
delamination and shrinkage.

 Support may also be used to balance a printed object so that it is securely tethered to the
build platform during manufacture.

 A comprehensively summarized table shows the details (see Table 1) about different 3D
printing processes and its support structure features/functions.

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6
Different Types of Part orientation & Support Generation
During 3D Printing

Support

Support

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Different Types of Part orientation & Support Generation
During 3D Printing

Suppor
t

Support

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 Different Types of Part orientation & Support Generation
During 3D Printing-Conclusion

In general, a large proportion of support methods are based on the following

rules:

1. avoid large-size holes parallel to the printing surface

2. avoid surfaces with a large overhang angle
3. avoid trapped surfaces where support materials would be
difficult or impossible to remove
4. structure optimization to reduce the support material used

There are many software applications for generating support structures.

For example, KISSLICER for FDM processes.

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 Factors affecting part orientation
 Total sharp corners of all slice

Since a minimum corner radius for the continuous fiber deposition should be

maintained, the total sharp corners for a sliced STL model should be minimized.

 Number of disconnected deposition areas

 Cutting operations are usually required when dealing with sharp corners, switching

deposition from one area to another disconnected area within a slice and jumping

from one finished layer to the next layer if the tool-paths of two layers are not

connected.

 Build orientation affects the slicing result and the total numbers of disconnected

deposition areas of slices. Therefore, an optimal build orientation should be the

one that has the minimum number of disconnected deposition areas. 10

Factors affecting part orientation
 Minimum Z-size-error

Different build orientations have different build heights. Usually, a minimum Z-

height will result to a minimum build time.

 Minimum support volume

This is a general decision criterion for many AM processes where support

structures are required to provide force for overhanging down surface areas.

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Various models for part orientation determination

 Build orientation: Build orientation is defined as the way to orient the part in a build

platform with respect to X-, Y-, and Z-axes

Build orientation: (a) numerical; (b) categorical

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 Various models for part orientation determination
 In order to deliver the best quality print by saving essential components, the orientation is

required.

 Orientation helps to place an object at proper place on the build platform so that it uses less

time and requires less support, all while saving precious filament.

 It also helps to know the placement on the build platform if more than one part is to be

printed.

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The function of part supports

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The Function of part supports

As 3D printed parts are built layer by layer, a previous layer to build upon is required.

Depending on the specific 3D printing technology and the complexity of the 3D model, this

can mean that a 3D print requires support structures.

 Supports in FDM

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) extrudes a melted filament onto a build surface along a

predetermined path. As the material is extruded, it cools, forming a solid surface providing

the foundation for the next layer of material to be built upon. This is repeated layer by layer

until the object is completed.

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 The Function of part supports
When is support needed in FDM?

 With FDM printing, each layer is printed as a set of heated filament threads
which adhere to the threads below and around it. Each thread is printed slightly
offset from its previous layer. This allows a model to be built up to angles of
45°, allowing prints to expand beyond its previous layer’s width.
 When a feature is printed with an overhang beyond 45°, it can sag and requires
support material beneath it to hold it up

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The Function of part supports

Actual
Component
Support

Human following
dustbin
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The function of part supports
 Different 3D printing technologies have different reasons for requiring support
structures. Some require such a structure to resist deformation or even collapse
caused by gravity as the fabrication of the component proceeds, or to tether parts so
far unconnected to the main body of the printed part during production.
 Support structures can also be used to mitigate against the effects caused by any
generated thermal gradients during the manufacturing process and shrinkage upon
solidification that are inherent within a large number of AM techniques. This helps
to reduce thermal distortion that can lead to cracking, curling, sag, delamination and
shrinkage.
 Support may also be used to balance a printed object so that it is securely tethered
to the build platform during manufacture.

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Support structure design
 Support structures are typically optimized so as to minimize material usage, and,
therefore, concurrently minimize build time and cost of the manufactured part.
Due to their advantages of low solid volume fraction, this has tended to lead to
cellular support structures, which also provide opportunities to reduce the time
needed for removal of support structures as well as build time..
 Support structure design should consider the printability, constraint of overhang
angle size, part balance, thermal conditions, ease of removal and any other
relevant factors
 The support should be able to prevent parts from collapse/warping, especially
the outer contour area which needs support; for metal processes, stress and
strain needs to be considered
 The connection between the support and final parts should be of minimal
strength to perform the support function, with the aim of easily removing
support
 The contact area between the support and final parts should be as small as
possible to reduce surface deterioration after support removal
 When designing the support, material consumption and build time should be
considered as a significant factor, as well as the trade-off between them and the
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final printed quality.
Support structure design

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Support structure design

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Support structure design

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Automatic support structure generation

Automatic Support
Structure generated by
the software based on
input parameters in
software

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Model Slicing and Contour Data organization
 The 3D models must be first sliced into layers since the 3D printer prints out model layer by

layer. The slicing algorithm plays a very important role in the 3D printing process. The most

common technique for slicing is the production of contour data from STL files. An STL file

approximates the surfaces of an object with many small planar triangular facets, a process called

tessellation.

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 Model Slicing and Contour Data organization
 Slicing methods
 The Figure shows the software pipeline between
input STL file to output G-code file, i.e., convert
a 3D model into printing instructions for the 3D
printer.
 It cuts the model into horizontal layers,
generates toolpaths to fill them and calculates
the amount of material to be extruded.
 In current 3D printing practice, the most
common technique for slicing is to produce
contour data from STL files.
 The STL model is then sliced by intersecting it
with horizontal slicing planes, each of which
gives piecewise linear contours of a slice.
 According to the source data, there are two kinds
of methods to slice the geometric model of a part
into layers, i.e., the STL-based slicing and direct
slicing based on different 3D CAD systems with
different data formats.

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Model Slicing and Contour Data organization
Slice the STL File after
setting of parameters and
orientation of sample on
build area

During Slicing
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 Adaptive and direct slicing
 Adaptive slicing
Adaptive slicing is an important computational task required in the layer-based

manufacturing process. Its purpose is to find an optimal trade-off between the fabrication

time (number of layers) and the surface quality (geometric deviation error).

Uniform slicing generates constant layer thickness slices. Adaptive slicing is a variant of the

uniform slicing, where the spacing between the slices is not constant but determined by the

geometry and machine capability.

Adaptive slicing mainly addresses the geometry issues and need a specific 3D printing system

to achieve the desired results. However, there are still no 3D printer that fully supports or is able

to take full advantages of adaptive slicing. Therefore, uniform slicing seems more versatile.

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 Adaptive and direct slicing
 Direct slicing
Although STL file format is widely used as a de facto industry standard in the 3D printing

industry due to its simplicity and ability to tessellation of almost all surfaces, but there are

always some defects and shortcoming in their usage, which many of them are difficult to

correct manually.

Direct slicing can generate precise slice contours from original 3D models and

obviates the error-detection and repairing process of STL files. However, a severe

disadvantage of direct slicing is the capability among various 3D CAD systems. In other

words, it can only be used for a specific set of software and machine, and is not applicable

to any other 3D CAD combinations.

As a matter of fact, STL-based slicing (Adaptive slicing) is still the commonly used

method in processing the problem of layered 3D printing.

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Adaptive layer thickness determination
 Adaptive layer thickness
Adaptive Layer Thickness is an advanced print mode that analyzes the geometry of parts
imported into PreForm and assigns layer heights throughout the sliced model to maximize
print speeds while preserving fine detail. Adaptive Layer Thickness determines which areas
of the print require thinner layer heights for high resolution and which areas of the print can
use thicker layer heights to decrease printing times. For example, the nozzle below prints
with thinner layers in the bottom section for higher detail in the threading and knurling, and
thicker layers in the top section where the nozzle is smooth and uniform.

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When to Use Adaptive Layer Thickness
 This feature helps create detailed prototypes and high impact concept models.
However, it is still a new feature and there are some applications better suited to
choosing constant layer thickness throughout your print.

Adaptive Layer Thickness works best for:

1. Parts with gradual changes in slope
2. Models with concentrated detail in some areas and little to no detail in other
areas
3. Creating prototypes with higher fidelity

Adaptive Layer Thickness should not be used for:

1. Parts that require high accuracy. Adaptive Layer Thickness is still not yet
validated for accuracy
2. Parts that require precise detail throughout the entire print (e.g. fine jewelry)
3. Printing different models on the same build platform. Adaptive Layer
Thickness will not work effectively since the feature is intended to generate
the optimal layer settings for a specific model

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Tool path generation
 Flow chart shows the procedure for generating G-Code using Z-buffer. Here, the criterion
“print boundary first” is used for generating tool path. The infill pattern consists of 45°
inclined grid. When generating infill patters, a line inclined at 45° to X-Axis is fist swept
from left to right and then intersections are calculated at each step.
 Once the intersections of each scan line are obtained, the number of intersections are
then checked for. If the number of intersections is odd, then a corner point of the profile
exists in the tool path. This point is identified and the points are joined in such a way that
gaps and this point are avoided. The same procedure is repeated for line inclined at -45°.
Based on the obtained intersections, the tool path generated.

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Tool path generation

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Design, Dies and Development (3D) lab
3D Printer

• Model:-Aeqon 400 V3
• Build Size:-400mm X 300mm X 300mm
• NOZZLE Diameter:-0.4, 0.6, 0.8 mm
• Extruder:-Single
• Accuracy:-80-250 Micron
• Build Material:-ABS+, PLA, Metal fill, Carbon
fibre, Polycarbonate, Polyurethane, ABS - PC.

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Thank you