Determination of optimal build orientation for hybrid rapid-prototyping

To overcome the limitations of the layered manufacturing process, hybrid rapid-prototyping systems that allow material removal and deposition are being introduced. This approach should benefit from the advantages of conventional layered manufacturing and traditional CNC machining processes. To realize these advantages, however, an intelligent process plan must be generated. In the hybrid rapid-prototyping process, a part is decomposed into thick-layered 3D shapes, such that each layer can be machined and stacked easily. When each layer is generated from the part's shape, the build orientation is an important factor to be considered, because it greatly influences the lead-time, the machining accuracy, and the number of tool-accessible features in each setup. In this paper, an algorithm to determine the build orientation is described. It considers the deposition process attributes and the machining process attributes simultaneously. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.