Supportless 5-Axis 3D-Printing and Conformal Slicing: A Simulation-based Approach

In the conventional three-dimensional (3D) printing, the parts are generated layer-by-layer along the z-axis by depositing the material. This approach simplifies the fabrication process, kinematics, and mechanical design of the 3D printers. However, the printed parts have non-uniform structural strength, planar visible layers, more travelling time, creates seam and support structures, etc. At the same time, this approach leads to the additional material and processing time. To overcome these issues, researcher focuses on the development of multi axis computer numerical control (CNC) and more than 6 degree of freedom (DOF) industrial manipulators as 3D-printers. However, such multi axis 3D-printing is still inaccessible for industrial use because of non-availability of fully developed slicing software. To make multi axis 3Dprinting more accessible, in this paper, we present a novel 5-axis conformal slicing algorithm for 3D-printing. The 5-axismaker machine is used to demonstrate 3D-printing of non-linear objects using iso-curves. Initially, the forward kinematics of the machine are computed using Denavit–Hartenberg (DH) parameter method, and motor variables are computed using inverse kinematics approach. Later, interface for conformal slicer is developed with the help of Rhino3D and Grasshopper software to generate the G-Code. The developed slicer allows the full control of printing path and parameters. Finally, the tubes (loft) are designed and printed with 3-axis and 5-axis methods to demonstrate the feasibility of algorithms. The ANSYS simulations are conducted for static study to check the structural strength of the parts. The simulations are validated by conducting experiments for compression test using Zwick Roell Z020. The results from both simulations and experiments are in good agreement, with a deviation of only 3.41%.