Process Plan for Multimaterial Heterogeneous Object in Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing (AM) is evolving toward multimaterial processes for improved functionality and performance. A recently developed AMF format provides the platforms for digitizing multimaterial/feature model suitable for AM processes. However, the current build strategies of monomaterial may not be appropriate for multimaterial objects presented in AMF format. The internal architecture of the part cannot be ignored in heterogeneous solids and functional porous objects. The material deposition path-plan in such multifeature objects can be interrupted by frequent directional changes and/or secondary material source activation. Dealing with these interruptions during fabrication requires more resources and may affect the part integrity, quality, and build time. This research aims to minimize such interruptions by focusing on build direction. A computational algorithm is proposed for the heterogeneous object that quantifies the build direction considering the feature characteristics and manufacturing attributes in order to bundle the slices based on the heterogeneity. The proposed methodology is illustrated by two heterogeneous models and generates more than 42% homogeneous slices generated for both examples. Higher heterogeneity is consolidated in strips that may require more resources during fabrication. Thus, differentiating and bundling the slice based on the resources requirement would certainly benefit the process plan for the multimaterial additive manufacturing technique.