3D Printing Path Reallocation for Concurrent IDEX Systems
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Abstract
3D Printing is a growing field of interest, with research topics and commercial advancements in materials, processes, and systems. One of these advancements is the introduction of Independent Dual Extrusion (IDEX) Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) printers in both the enterprise and consumer space. The unique feature on these printers is their dual extruders, which allows them to use multiple materials to create a printed part. These two extruders, in collaboration with two hotends, are responsible for the controlled deposition of material. In present systems, only one hotend can operate on the part at a time. However, as implied by the name, the hotends can be positioned independently. Therefore, the ability to utilize the two hotends concurrently could significantly reduce print time, a behavior not presently available. In this document we develop an algorithm to enable Collaborative Dual Extrusion (CODEX) printing, a model in which both hotends can be utilized simultaneously on one part. To do so we outline a two-phase greedy algorithm for transforming an input GCode file, intended for a traditional FDM printer, into one that could be utilized on IDEX printers. This algorithm exploits the sequential nature of GCode to find large runs of concurrently printable 2 segments. These runs are then linked to produce output paths. Approximately 13,500 publicly available GCode files are utilized to test and validate the algorithm across three different conceptual models for IDEX printers. The first model provides a theoretical maximum upper bound on efficiency. The second represents a mechanically feasible model. The final model simulates those IDEX printers available today. We show an approximate 24% and 20% improvement for the first two models, and a 9% deterioration on the final model. The document
concludes with a discussion of possible improvements and directions for future work.
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IDEX, CODEX, dual extruder, collaborative dual extruder, independent dual extruder, concurrent 3D printer