| Summary: | 3D printing is now a common method for producing objects. Due to its simplicity and flexibility, this technique has been applied to many industrial practices. The most concerning problem now is how to improve the printing efficiency without damaging the printing quality.
In this project, the author first did some literature review on the 3D printing technology. Generally, the object is sliced in several pieces and printed layer by layer. Many researchers have focused on the slicing process and try to find an optimal method. However, it is not easy to simulate the process without actual experiment. Hence, the author put her concentration on another aspect.
In the printing process, the nozzle follows a generated printing path, named the tool-path, to finish the layer. There are many factors in tool-paths affecting the printing efficiency. For example, the total tool-path length has great effect on the total printing time.
In the project, the tool-paths for 3D printing is studied and an optimization plan is proposed and simulated on computer. The proposed plan takes the influencing factors into consideration. The generated tool-paths are compared with the original tool-paths regarding to the printing time.
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