Channel design for 3D models with applications in powder-bed additive manufacturing
ISSN: 1355-2546
Article publication date: 3 April 2019
Issue publication date: 17 October 2019
Abstract
Purpose
For any 3D model with chambers to be fabricated in powder-bed additive manufacturing processes such as SLM and SLS, powders are trapped in the chambers of the finished model. This paper aims to design a shortest network with the least number of outlets for efficiently leaking the trapped powders.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper proposes a nonlinear objective with linear constraints for solving the channel design problem and a particle swarm optimization algorithm to solve the nonlinear system.
Findings
Structural optimization for the channel network leads to fairly short channels in the interior of the 3D models and very few outlets on the model surface, which achieves the cleaning of the powders while causing almost the least changes to the model.
Originality/value
This paper reveals the NP-harness of computing the shortest channel network with the least number of outlets. The proposed approach helps the design of lightweight models using the powder-bed additive manufacturing techniques.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This work was supported in part by National Natural Science Foundation of China No. 51605290 and No. 51505286, Shanghai Sailing Program No.16YF1405500, National Key Technologies R&D Program No. 2015BAF18B02.
Citation
Wei, X., Li, X., Wen, S., Zheng, Y. and Tian, Y. (2019), "Channel design for 3D models with applications in powder-bed additive manufacturing", Rapid Prototyping Journal, Vol. 25 No. 9, pp. 1536-1544. https://doi.org/10.1108/RPJ-06-2018-0156
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited