CONVEX (CONtinuously Varied EXtrusion): A new scale of design for additive manufacturing

Moetazedian, Amirpasha; Budisuharto, Anthony Setiadi; Silberschmidt, Vadim V.; Gleadall, Andrew

doi:10.1016/j.addma.2020.101576

Cited by 31 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Even more complicated print-path design has enabled completely new structure types to be conceived, as demonstrated with case studies in Section 4. FullControl also allows freedom beyond geometric print-path design, including extrusion rate and speed, which were continuously varied in a recent study [31] to achieve five different graded lattice geometries for an identical print-path (Figure 1E). That study [31] also utilised specially designed specimens for process characterisation consisting of thousands of print-path segments, with each segment given designed extrusion rate, speed, acceleration and jerk speed.…”

Section: Hydrogel Polymermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…FullControl also allows freedom beyond geometric print-path design, including extrusion rate and speed, which were continuously varied in a recent study [31] to achieve five different graded lattice geometries for an identical print-path (Figure 1E). That study [31] also utilised specially designed specimens for process characterisation consisting of thousands of print-path segments, with each segment given designed extrusion rate, speed, acceleration and jerk speed. With FullControl GCode Designer, it is also possible to parametrically vary retraction, temperature, and any other parameter that can be controlled with GCode.…”

Section: Hydrogel Polymermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To allow for parametric variation, the custom GCode string can be defined as a concatenation of multiple strings and numbers, as opposed to a single text string. This enables the numeric values to be adjusted each time the line of GCode is repeated -as recently used to incrementally increase acceleration in a single test print, allowing the identification of which acceleration values caused greatest fluctuations in extrusion due to resonant vibration (often called 'ringing') [31].…”

Section: Types Of Featuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…• Print platform height/level -by printing multiple concentric squares • Retraction settings -by printing a parametric array of discontinuous lines, with each non-extruding travel movement assigned a different amount of material retraction and retraction speed • Fibre orientation in short-fibre-reinforced polymer • Extrusion widths for different print settings • Quality of different overhang angles • Capabilities for entirely novel structures -as discussed later in relation to Figure 7 • Position of auxiliary hardware -by printing lines at controlled positions on the print platform As referred to in Section 2, a recent study characterised how the width of extruded filaments could be varied continuously along their length to offer a new scale of design for MEAM (called the CONVEX design approach) [31]. In that study, hundreds of different combinations of speed, acceleration, jerk, retraction, extrusion width, and other parameters were investigated to understand the instantaneous effect of each parameter.…”

Section: Process Calibration Characterisation and Hardware Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Using FullControl to design the geometry of individual filaments along their length, as opposed to considering filaments to have an unvarying geometry, allowed entirely new structures to be conceived, such as the graded mesh materials in Figure 4D; even though an identical print-path was used for all structures, geometric grading was achieved by sinusoidal variation of print speed and extrusion width [31]. This highlights how unconstrained design of the printing procedure enables new conceptual printing approaches and development of new structures that are inconceivable when using traditional software.…”

Section: Filament-scale Design and Novel Print-pathsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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FullControl GCode Designer: open-source software for unconstrained design in additive manufacturing

Gleadall¹

2021

Preprint

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A new concept is presented for the design of additive manufacturing procedures, which is implemented in open-source software called FullControl GCode Designer. In this new design approach, the user defines every segment of the print-path along with all printing parameters, which may be related to geometric and non-geometric factors, at all points along the print-path. Machine control code (GCode) is directly generated by the software, without the need for any programming skills and without using computer-aided design (CAD), STL-files or slicing software. Case studies are used to demonstrate the broad range of structures that can be designed using the software, including: precisely controlled specimens for printer calibration, parametric specimens for hardware characterisation utilising hundreds of unique parameter combinations, novel mathematically defined lattice structures, and previously inconceivable 3D geometries that are impossible for traditional slicing software to achieve. FullControl GCode Designer enables unconstrained freedom to create nonplanar 3D print-paths and break free from traditional restrictions of layerwise print-path planning. It also allows nozzle movements to be carefully designed - both during extrusion and while travelling between disconnected extrusion volumes - to overcome inherent limitations of the printing process or to improve capabilities for challenging materials. An industrial case study shows how explicit print-path design improved printer reliability, production time, and print quality for a production run of over 1,000 parts. FullControl GCode Designer offers a general framework for unconstrained design and is not limited to a particular type of structure or hardware; transferability to lasers and other manufacturing processes is discussed. Parametric design files use a few bytes or kilobytes of data to describe all details that are sent to the printer, which greatly improves shareability by eliminating any risk of errors being introduced during STL file conversion or due to different users having inconsistent slicer settings. Adjustable parameters allow GCode for revised designs to be produced instantly, instead of the laborious traditional routine using multiple software packages and file conversions. The FullControl design concept offers new opportunities for creative and high-precision use of additive manufacturing systems. It facilitates design for additive manufacturing (DfAM) at the smallest possible scale based on the fundamental nature of the process (i.e. assembly of individual extrusions). The software and source code are provided as supplementary data and ongoing updates will be available at www.fullcontrolgcode.com.

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Section: Hydrogel Polymermentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Hydrogel Polymermentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Types Of Featuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Process Calibration Characterisation and Hardware Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Filament-scale Design and Novel Print-pathsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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FullControl GCode Designer: open-source software for unconstrained design in additive manufacturing

Gleadall¹

2021

Preprint

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Microscopic Analysis of Continuous Fiber 3D Printing with Oblique Axis for Process Optimization

Zhang

Hou

et al. 2023

Adv Eng Mater

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This article presents a self‐developed continuous fiber 3D printing device that incorporates a tilted printing axis. By positioning the print nozzle axis at an obtuse angle to the printing plane, the device effectively prevents the common issue of fiber damage during the 90° extrusion of continuous fibers. This improvement is substantiated through tensile strength experiments. Additionally, the pretreatment stage includes the twisting of continuous fibers to enhance friction along their length. This twisting process enables better retention of the matrix during impregnation, thereby improving impregnation performance. The cross‐section of the printed sample is observed by scanning electron microscope, and the microscopic effects of different process parameters on the continuous fiber structure are analyzed. Consequently, a link from process parameters to the mechanical properties of continuous fiber 3D printed specimens is established. This link serves as a foundation for predicting and optimizing the properties of continuous fiber‐reinforced materials.

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Versatile Microfluidics for Biofabrication Platforms Enabled by an Agile and Inexpensive Fabrication Pipeline

Moetazedian

Candeo

Liu

et al. 2023

Adv Healthcare Materials

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Microfluidics have transformed diagnosis and screening in regenerative medicine. Recently, they are showing much promise in biofabrication. However, their adoption is inhibited by costly and drawn‐out lithographic processes thus limiting progress. Here, multi‐material fibers with complex core‐shell geometries with sizes matching those of human arteries and arterioles are fabricated employing versatile microfluidic devices produced using an agile and inexpensive manufacturing pipeline. The pipeline consists of material extrusion additive manufacturing with an innovative continuously varied extrusion (CONVEX) approach to produce microfluidics with complex seamless geometries including, novel variable‐width zigzag (V‐zigzag) mixers with channel widths ranging from 100–400 µm and hydrodynamic flow‐focusing components. The microfluidic systems facilitated rapid mixing of fluids by decelerating the fluids at specific zones to allow for increased diffusion across the interfaces. Better mixing even at high flow rates (100−1000 µL min−1) whilst avoiding turbulence led to high cell cytocompatibility (>86%) even when 100 µm nozzles are used. The presented 3D‐printed microfluidic system is versatile, simple and efficient, offering a great potential to significantly advance the microfluidic platform in regenerative medicine.

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CONVEX (CONtinuously Varied EXtrusion): A new scale of design for additive manufacturing

Cited by 31 publications

References 30 publications

FullControl GCode Designer: open-source software for unconstrained design in additive manufacturing

FullControl GCode Designer: open-source software for unconstrained design in additive manufacturing

Microscopic Analysis of Continuous Fiber 3D Printing with Oblique Axis for Process Optimization

Versatile Microfluidics for Biofabrication Platforms Enabled by an Agile and Inexpensive Fabrication Pipeline

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