Purpose

Additive Manufacturing (AM) conventionally necessitates an intermediary slicing procedure using the standard tessellation language (STL) data, which can be computationally burdensome, especially for intricate microcellular architectures. This study aims to propose a direct slicing method tailored for digital light processing-type AM processes for the efficient generation of slicing data for microcellular structures.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors proposed a direct slicing method designed for microcellular structures, encompassing micro-lattice and triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) structures. The sliced data of these structures were represented mathematically and then convert into 2D monochromatic images, bypassing the time-consuming slicing procedures required by 3D STL data. The efficiency of the proposed method was validated through data preparations for lattice-based nasopharyngeal swabs and TPMS-based ellipsoid components. Furthermore, its adaptability was highlighted by incorporating 2D images of additional features, eliminating the requirement for complex 3D Boolean operations.

Findings

The direct slicing method offered significant benefits upon implementation for microcellular structures. For lattice-based nasopharyngeal swabs, it reduced data size by a factor of 1/300 and data preparation time by a factor of 1/8. Similarly, for TPMS-based ellipsoid components, it reduced data size by a factor of 1/60 and preparation time by a factor of 1/16.

Originality/value

The direct slicing method allows for bypasses the computational burdens associated with traditional indirect slicing from 3D STL data, by directly translating complex cellular structures into 2D sliced images. This method not only reduces data volume and processing time significantly but also demonstrates the versatility of sliced data preparation by integrating supplementary features using 2D operations.

中文翻译：

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用于数字光处理 (DLP) 增材制造的微孔结构直接切片

目的

增材制造 (AM) 通常需要使用标准曲面细分语言 (STL) 数据进行中间切片程序，这可能会造成计算负担，特别是对于复杂的微蜂窝架构。本研究旨在提出一种适合数字光处理型增材制造工艺的直接切片方法，以有效生成微孔结构的切片数据。

设计/方法论/途径

作者提出了一种专为微孔结构设计的直接切片方法，包括微晶格和三周期最小表面（TPMS）结构。这些结构的切片数据以数学方式表示，然后转换为 2D 单色图像，绕过 3D STL 数据所需的耗时的切片程序。通过基于格子的鼻咽拭子和基于TPMS的椭球体组件的数据准备验证了所提出方法的效率。此外，通过合并附加功能的 2D 图像，消除了复杂的 3D 布尔运算的要求，突出了其适应性。

发现

直接切片方法在微孔结构的实施中提供了显着的好处。对于基于网格的鼻咽拭子，其数据大小减少了 1/300，数据准备时间减少了 1/8。同样，对于基于 TPMS 的椭球体组件，它将数据大小减少了 1/60，准备时间减少了 1/16。

原创性/价值

直接切片方法通过将复杂的细胞结构直接转换为 2D 切片图像，可以绕过与传统的 3D STL 数据间接切片相关的计算负担。该方法不仅显着减少了数据量和处理时间，而且通过使用 2D 操作集成补充特征，展示了切片数据准备的多功能性。