Implicit Slicing Method for Additive Manufacturing Processes

All additive manufacturing processes involve a distinct preprocessing stage in which a set of instructions, or GCode, that control the process specific manufacturing tool are generated, otherwise known as slicing. In regards to fused deposition modeling, the GCode defines many crucial parameters which are needed to produce a part, including tool path, infill density, layer height, feed rate, tool head and plate temperature. The majority of current commercial slicing programs generate tool paths explicitly, and do not consider particular geometric properties of parts, such as thin walls, small corners and round profiles that can result in critical voids leading to part failure. This work replicates an implicit slicing algorithm in which functionally derived infill patterns are overlaid onto each layer of a part, reducing the possibility of undesired voids and flaws. This work also further investigates the effects that varying implicitly derived infill patterns have on a part’s mechanical properties through tensile testing dog bone specimens with three different infill patterns and comparing ultimate stress and elastic modulus properties.Mechanical Engineerin