US 12,233,603 B2
Slicer systems for generating a molecular dynamic graded lattice structure and their application to additive manufacturing
Seokpum Kim, Oak Ridge, TN (US); Ahmed Arabi Hassen, Oak Ridge, TN (US); Lonnie J. Love, Oak Ridge, TN (US); and Vlastimil Kunc, Oak Ridge, TN (US)
Assigned to UT-Battelle, LLC, Oak Ridge, TN (US)
Filed by UT Battelle, LLC, Oak Ridge, TN (US)
Filed on Jun. 30, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/216,865.
Application 18/216,865 is a division of application No. 17/545,159, filed on Dec. 8, 2021, granted, now 11,738,515.
Application 17/545,159 is a continuation of application No. 17/333,619, filed on May 28, 2021, granted, now 11,602,898, issued on Mar. 14, 2023.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/032,038, filed on May 29, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0339186 A1, Oct. 26, 2023
Int. Cl. B33Y 10/00 (2015.01); B29C 64/118 (2017.01); B29C 64/386 (2017.01); B33Y 30/00 (2015.01); B33Y 50/00 (2015.01)
CPC B29C 64/386 (2017.08) [B29C 64/118 (2017.08); B33Y 10/00 (2014.12); B33Y 30/00 (2014.12); B33Y 50/00 (2014.12)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A slicer computer system for additive manufacture of an article, the system comprising:
memory configured to store (i) surface data representative of a surface of the article, (ii) field data representative of intensity values of a non-uniform physical field corresponding to the article; (iii) a slicer software program; and (iv) additive manufacturing instructions for the article; and
a processor in communication with the memory, the processor configured to execute the slicer software program stored in memory to convert surface data and field data of the article into additive manufacturing instructions for fabricating a non-uniform infill lattice structure for the article, wherein execution of the slicer software program to generate the additive manufacturing instructions includes:
(i) simulation of positioning a plurality of nodes over a planar region representative of an infill layer portion of the article,
(ii) simulation of adjusting the spacing of the plurality of nodes within the infill layer portion of the article wherein adjustments are based on intensity values of the non-uniform physical field at corresponding locations in the planar region representative of the infill layer portion of the article,
(iii) simulation of generation of an intermediate lattice structure having a set of intermediate lattice polygonal cells, wherein vertices of the intermediate lattice polygonal cells correspond to neighboring nodes of the plurality of nodes and wherein sides of the set of the intermediate lattice polygonal cells correspond to segments between the vertices of the set of intermediate lattice polygonal cells,
(iv) simulation of generation of the infill lattice structure having a set of infill lattice polygonal cells, wherein vertices of the infill lattice set of polygonal cells correspond to centers of adjacent intermediate lattice polygonal cells of the intermediate lattice and wherein sides of the infill lattice polygon cells correspond to segments between the vertices of the infill lattice polygon cells, and
(v) conversion of the infill lattice polygonal cells of the simulated infill lattice structure to additive manufacturing instructions for printing, by an additive manufacturing printer, a respective physical infill lattice structure embodying the corresponding simulated infill lattice structure as the infill layer portion of the article, and
(vi) storing the additive manufacturing instructions in memory.