Abstract: Techniques for determining print quality for a 3D printer are disclosed. An example method includes obtaining an image of a stream of material jetted from a nozzle of the 3D printer, and binarizing the image to distinguish background features from foreground features contained in the image. The method also includes identifying elements of jetted material in the foreground features, and computing statistical data characterizing the identified elements. The method also includes generating a quality score of jetting quality based on the statistical data and controlling the 3D printer based on the quality score. The quality score indicates a degree to which the elements of jetted material form droplets of a same size, shape, alignment, and jetting frequency.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides techniques for automatically modifying shape features related to overhangs such that support structures can be reduced or avoided. In an example, a shape modification processing device may obtain an initial shape and relevant production information (e.g., overhang angle threshold). The shape modification processing device may modify the shape to improve various aspects of production, including reduction or removal of the need for support materials or structures during additive manufacturing, with considerations that allow the modified portion (e.g., added features) be accessible for removal by subtractive manufacturing. For example, the shape modification processing device may modify a model to reduce or remove support structures needed during production. The added features may later be removed by subtractive manufacturing to restore any functional or desired shape.

Abstract: This disclosure teaches techniques, devices, and systems for automatically modifying a 3-Dimensional (3D) object model. The apparatus comprising a memory and a processing device coupled to the memory. The processor and the memory are configured to obtain an input 3D object model comprising an input 3D mesh, analyze the input 3D mesh to identify unprintable overhangs that have an angle over an overhang angle limit and identify vertices associated with the unprintable overhangs as active vertices, and perform an optimization process to move the active vertices to eliminate the unprintable overhangs and generate a modified 3D mesh. The optimization process includes a gradient descent search algorithm performed on an objective function comprising a cost function configured to minimize a difference between the input 3D mesh and the modified 3D mesh subject to an overhang constraint related to the overhang angle limit.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides techniques for determining a configuration for 3D printing a 3D object. An example method includes obtaining user input parameters describing one or more user objectives. The method also includes computing, by a processing device, a graph of hybrid manufacturing (HM) configurations based in part on the user input parameters, wherein the graph comprises a plurality of nodes corresponding to different configurations for manufacturing the 3D object, wherein each node corresponds with a favorable print configuration with respect to two or more figures of merit. The method also includes displaying a selected HM configuration corresponding to a selected node of the plurality of nodes.

Abstract: Image processing techniques for determining print quality for a 3D printer are disclosed. An example method includes obtaining an image of material jetted from a nozzle of the 3D printer. The method also includes binarizing the image to distinguish background features from foreground features contained in the image. The method also includes determining, by a processing device, a jetting quality based on the binarized image.

Abstract: Techniques for determining print quality for a 3D printer are disclosed. An example method includes obtaining an image of a stream of material jetted from a nozzle of the 3D printer, and binarizing the image to distinguish background features from foreground features contained in the image. The method also includes identifying elements of jetted material in the foreground features, and computing statistical data characterizing the identified elements. The method also includes generating a quality score of jetting quality based on the statistical data and controlling the 3D printer based on the quality score. The quality score indicates a degree to which the elements of jetted material form droplets of a same size, shape, alignment, and jetting frequency.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides techniques for automatically modifying shape features related to overhangs such that support structures can be reduced or avoided. In an example, a shape modification processing device may obtain an initial shape and relevant production information (e.g., overhang angle threshold). The shape modification processing device may modify the shape to improve various aspects of production, including reduction or removal of the need for support materials or structures during additive manufacturing, with considerations that allow the modified portion (e.g., added features) be accessible for removal by subtractive manufacturing. For example, the shape modification processing device may modify a model to reduce or remove support structures needed during production. The added features may later be removed by subtractive manufacturing to restore any functional or desired shape.

Abstract: In an embodiment receiving input data over a computer network. The method also includes automatically generating topic-based metadata of the input data in relation to a multi-level taxonomy. The method also includes automatically determining parts of speech of tokens of the input data. The method also includes searching a metadata store using the tokens and the parts of speech, the searching including identifying, at a first level and a second level of the multi-level taxonomy, nodes that include metadata which sufficiently match the tokens and the parts of speech of the tokens, where the searching yields best-match grammar-based metadata. The method of also includes revising the best-match grammar-based metadata based at least in part on the automatically generated topic-based metadata.

Abstract: In an embodiment receiving input data over a computer network. The method also includes automatically generating topic-based metadata of the input data in relation to a multi-level taxonomy. The method also includes automatically determining parts of speech of tokens of the input data. The method also includes searching a metadata store using the tokens and the parts of speech, the searching including identifying, at a first level and a second level of the multi-level taxonomy, nodes that include metadata which sufficiently match the tokens and the parts of speech of the tokens, where the searching yields best-match grammar-based metadata. The method of also includes revising the best-match grammar-based metadata based at least in part on the automatically generated topic-based metadata.