| CPC B29C 64/386 (2017.08) [B29C 64/106 (2017.08); B33Y 10/00 (2014.12); B33Y 30/00 (2014.12); B33Y 50/00 (2014.12)] | 20 Claims |
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1. A method for reducing an additional printing time of a 3D object related to printing of an outer wall of the 3D object, the outer wall having an outer surface with an enhanced smoothness, the 3D object being fabricated using an extrusion-based additive manufacturing process by stacking main layers and sublayers comprising tracks of extruded feedstock material, the 3D object comprising an inner part, the outer wall being arranged to envelope the inner part, the method comprising:
obtaining a 3D model of the 3D object;
determining a number of slices by slicing the 3D model using a predetermined slice height;
for at least one slice of the number of slices:
determining an outer boundary of the 3D model;
determining whether or not an internal boundary is definable in the outer wall to divide the outer wall in a first outer wall part and a second outer wall part, wherein the first outer wall part is arranged to extend between the outer boundary and the internal boundary and configured to be provided with a stack of sublayers that has a total height that is equal to the predetermined slice height to form the outer surface with the enhanced smoothness, and the second outer wall part is arranged to extend between the internal boundary and the inner part and configured to be provided with a main layer that has a predetermined main layer height that is equal to the predetermined slice height, wherein
in response to determining that the predetermined slice height of a respective slice of the number of slices is at least as high as the predetermined main layer height, thereby establishing that the internal boundary in the outer wall is definable:
positioning the internal boundary at a distance from the outer boundary at which a minimal number of tracks of a first type of tracks of extruded feedstock material for at least one sublayer of the stack of sublayers equals one,
filling said at least one sublayer in the first outer wall part with said one track of the first type of tracks having a predetermined first track height that is equal to a predetermined sublayer height, which is a fraction of the predetermined slice height, and a track width having a minimum value that is equal to 50% of a nominal track width of tracks of the first type of tracks and a maximum value that is equal to 200% of the nominal track width of tracks of the first type of tracks, and
filling the second outer wall part with the main layer; or
in response to determining that the predetermined slice height of a respective slice of the number of slices is smaller than the predetermined main layer height, thereby establishing that the internal boundary in the outer wall is not definable:
filling the outer wall of the respective slice with a plurality of sublayers, wherein each sublayer of the plurality of sublayers has a predetermined sublayer height that is a fraction of the predetermined slice height.
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