Design of Complexly Graded Structures inside Three-Dimensional Surface Models by Assigning Volumetric Structures

Area of Science:

• Materials Science and Engineering
• Computer-Aided Design
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• Designing complex structures often relies on surface data (STL files).
• Assigning volumetric properties to these surface models for advanced manufacturing is challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report an innovative software for converting surface data into volumetric data.
• To enable the creation of unique, complex structures with multi-material properties using additive manufacturing.

Main Methods:

• Developed novel software to assign volumetric data (voxels) to surface models (STL datasets).
• Integrated arbitrary machine data (materials, porosity, color) to each voxel.
• Combined extrusion-based and two-tier additive manufacturing processes for short fibers and binder.

Main Results:

• Successfully converted surface data to volumetric elements (voxels).
• Enabled assignment of diverse material properties and structural features to voxels.
• Demonstrated the generation of 3D components with complex material and structural grading from STL files.

Conclusions:

• The developed software facilitates the design of intricate structures from STL datasets.
• This approach allows for unprecedented control over material and structural complexity in additive manufacturing.
• The software supports the realization of unique, multi-material 3D printed components.