Support-Free Hollowing.

Area of Science:

• * Computational geometry
• * Additive manufacturing
• * Computer-aided design

Background:

• * Offsetting-based hollowing is crucial for 3D printing, enabling weight reduction and property modification by creating internal voids.
• * Traditional hollowing methods often require internal support structures that are difficult to remove, compromising fabrication and optimization.
• * The presence of unremovable internal supports negatively impacts the physical properties and design freedom of hollowed models.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To develop a support-free hollowing framework for solid models in 3D printing.
• * To address the challenge of fabricating internal voids without residual support structures.
• * To enable seamless integration of physical property optimization within the hollowing process.

Main Methods:

• * Decomposing the support-free hollowing computation into iterative shape optimization steps.
• * Applying optimization techniques to interior mesh surfaces of 3D models.
• * Integrating application-specific physical property optimization into the framework.

Main Results:

• * Successful generation of support-free internal structures within solid models.
• * Demonstrated reduction in material volume compared to existing methods.
• * Enhanced capabilities for physical property optimization due to increased design flexibility.

Conclusions:

• * The proposed framework effectively overcomes the fabrication limitations of internal voids in 3D printing.
• * The support-free hollowing approach offers superior material reduction and broader optimization possibilities.
• * Experimental validation confirms the framework's effectiveness across various 3D models.