Lecture 26 - Additive Manufacturing
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Divyam GargLecture 26 - Additive Manufacturing
Uploaded by
Divyam GargAdvanced manufacturing processes (ME F315)
Department of Mechanical Engineering
BITS Pilani K. K. Birla Goa campus
Instructor in charge: Dr. Biswajit Das
Office No.- E107
Tel: +91-832-2580381 (O)
BITS Pilani K. K. Birla GoaDr.campus
Manoj Kumar Pandey
Solid: Modeling in 3D printing
Solid models are used to represent object in complete, valid and unambiguous
way.
Different CAD packages uses different schemes (CSG, B-rep, FBM, SD, hybrid)
for solid representation. Theoretically any commercial package or any scheme
can be used to create the solid model of the object.
However, most of the CAPP platform of AM require the solid model of the
object in a format called as “STL”.
Solid: Modeling in 3D printing
• Produce parts by physically making and joining volume elements,
commonly called voxels. The volume elements are generally layers of
even thickness. Voxels are to 3D what pixels are to 2D.
• Modern computers are simply not optimized to handle rendering
voxels. Most of our hardware is meant to render polygons.
• Voxels are used in many scientific disciplines to quickly determine
volumetric data.
Voxels
Pixels
What is STL?
STereo Lithography STL file
STL file format represents surface
geometry of a 3D object using the
concept of tessellation.
Standard Triangle Language
Standard Tessellation Language
Tessellation is enclosing a surface
with one or more geometric shapes
such that there is no overlaps or
gaps. A real life example can be a
marble floor.
What is STL?
STL is a faceted boundary
representation (B-rep) model of an
object that approximate the model
surfaces by connected series of
triangles (tessellation).
No information regrading color, texture
and density is contained in this file.
An STL file describes a raw unstructured
triangulated surface by the unit normal and vertices
(ordered by the right-hand rule) of the triangles
using a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate
system.
Why triangles?
Handling of triangle is much simpler and faster owing to a number of characteristics.
Any three non collinear points form a triangle.
Every triangle forms a unique plane. Triangle points cannot be part of two planes which
save us from the trouble from dealing with multiple solutions.
Any surface can be broken down into triangles, and triangles can only be broken down
into triangles.
STL file: Data structure
No dimension is stored
ACII is user friendly than Binary
STL Format
• For each triangle , there are 7 lines
• Only the XYZ need to change for each triangle and these lines are
“copy” and “pasted” in editor to generate multiple lines for entire
solid.
STL Format
STL Format
STL file: ASCII (problem)
In a given triangle of STL file show that the facet normal data is redundant
facet normal 1.000000e+00 0.000000e+00 0.000000e+00
outer loop
vertex 3.200000e+02 1.000000e+02 0.000000e+00
vertex 3.200000e+02 1.000000e+02 3.000000e+00
vertex 3.200000e+02 1.000000e+02 0.000000e+00
endloop
endfacet
STL file: ASCII (problem)
In a given triangle of STL file show that the facet normal data is redundant
facet normal 1.000000e+00 0.000000e+00 0.000000e+00
outer loop
vertex 3.200000e+02 1.000000e+02 0.000000e+00
vertex 3.200000e+02 1.000000e+02 3.000000e+00
vertex 3.200000e+02 1.000000e+02 0.000000e+00
endloop
endfacet
STL file: Resolution
STL file approximate product’s surface using tessellated triangle. Hence, there
will always be a trade off between accurate representation of curve and no. of
triangles. However, file size increases if no. of triangle increases.
Size of triangles can
be controlled in
available CAD packages
Print quality and file
size also can be
controlled
STL file: Deviation tolerance
The measured distance between the designed part and STL representation of
the part. It is represented by a parameter called chord height or deviation
tolerance. The chord is the maximum distance between surface of the original
design and the generated STL mesh. Printed part will look smooth if the right
tolerance is chosen. More accurate representation is possible if chord height is
too small.
Recommended tolerance is 0.01 mm to 0.001 mm for good quality printing. 3D
printers cannot print in much detail after this limit. Hence, this limit
acceptable.
STL file: Deviation tolerance
How many triangles will be required for deviation tolerance to be 0.05 mm to
represent a circle of 100 mm radius by STL format.
STL file: Angle tolerance
Maximum angle between the normal vectors of each triangle. The smaller this
value, the more dense the tessellation in curved surfaces. Increases both
resolution and file size.
This parameter should be taken as low as possible.
STL file: Topology rules
1. Each edge in the triangulation is shared by at most two triangles.
2. Vertex rule states that must share two vertices with its neighboring
triangles (knot-knot property). A vertex in the triangulation can be shared
by any number of triangles.
3. The orientation rule says that the orientation of the facet (which way in
and which way out ) must be specified in two ways. First direction of the
normal should point outwards. The vertices are listed in counterclockwise
order when looking at the object from the outside (right hand rule).
4. Each triangle has at least one point in common with another triangle
(connectivity requires at least two triangles).
5. No triangle has an intersection with the interior of any other triangle (no
piercing, no overlapping).
STL file: Mathematical errors
1. The computation of the line of intersection of two surfaces can lead to
errors in knot-to-knot connection vertex shared by triangles lying on
different surfaces.
2. Raising the accuracy of the computation may not help. In contrast, due to
higher tessellating resolution, smaller triangles are generated, and triangles
may collapse into a line whenever one of its sides become too small.
3. High degree of edges can be generated and shared by more triangles
particularly at tangential positions.
STL file: errors
• Errors in STL:
• Construction errors: They are based on unnecessary data inside
the component that are the result of combining the single
elements incorrectly in the CAD system.
• Transforming errors: Exist when the convergence of the
mathematically exact contour (as provided by the CAD) by
triangles is inaccurate and the number of transforming errors is
larger the lower the number of triangles chosen.
• Description errors: Primarily attributable to three causes:
• 1. gaps between triangle patches (boundary error),
• 2. double triangle patches (overlap), and
• 3. incorrect orientation of individual patches (disorientation).
STL file: errors
• Several problems plague STL files and they are due to the very nature
of STL files as they contain no topological data.
• Software creates polygonal approximation models.
• Types of errors:
• Gaps (cracks, holes, punctures) – missing facets
• Inverted normals
• Bad edges
o Near bad edges and
o Bad contours (holes)
• Shells
o Noise shells and
o Intersecting shells
• Overlapping triangles
• Intersecting triangles
STL file issues
STL file issues
STL file issues
Multiple shell and nested parts
STL file issues
Thanks
