A Novel Way to Speed Up 3-D Printing, Using Bio-Inspired Architecture

Formlabs has released a software update that changes the way parts are supported during the printing process. Formlabs

Formlabs has released a software update that changes the way parts are supported during the printing process.

Formlabs

The result is faster printing, a 60% reduction in material use, and better surface finishes. Formlabs

The result is faster printing, a 60% reduction in material use, and better surface finishes.

Formlabs

The update is available for all Formlabs Form 1+ printers. Formlabs

The update is available for all Formlabs Form 1+ printers.

Formlabs

Changing the support algorithms is a difficult process as they need to be able to support almost any conceivable shape. Formlabs

Changing the support algorithms is a difficult process as they need to be able to support almost any conceivable shape.

Formlabs

"Then team actually had a sketch session where they drew all sorts of different sort of bridges and support structures," says Raney. "Through this, the winning structure emerged and then they set down and wrote the algorithm that would generate what they had just designed." Formlabs

"Then team actually had a sketch session where they drew all sorts of different sort of bridges and support structures," says Raney. "Through this, the winning structure emerged and then they set down and wrote the algorithm that would generate what they had just designed."

Formlabs

Formlabs also released an update that allows for faster speeds by increasing layer height. Even in this diminished capacity the Formlabs parts still have less noticeable ridges. Formlabs

Formlabs also released an update that allows for faster speeds by increasing layer height. Even in this diminished capacity the Formlabs parts still have less noticeable ridges.

Formlabs

Inexpensive 3-D printing has changed how engineers and designers work, but creatives always find ways to complain. Common gripes include low resolution, expensive consumables—the 3-D printer equivalent to ink cartridges can cost up to $150 per liter—and painfully slow print times.

Formlabs already improved resolution by using lasers to print high-fidelity models. Today, the company is announcing a software update that will allow its printers to produce parts using 60 percent less material, and do so at a faster rate with improved print quality.

It does this by making leaner, yet stronger, scaffolds.

Formlabs 3-D printers are capable of printing shapes with dramatic overhangs or hollow sections, a rare capability at the lower end of the market. These overhangs and hollow spaces are filled with support structures—a scaffold, if you will—of evenly spaced columns meant to be removed and discarded once the part is printed. This approach leads to fantastic models, but wastes time and money. In some cases, the auto-generated scaffolding takes longer to print than the remainder of the part. And the scaffold leaves small “pox marks,” or nubs, where the plastic breaks away.

Formlabs’ new SmartSupports replace these uniform columns with a web-like lattice inspired by tree branches and truss bridges. These thin “branches” or “trusses” support delicate parts the part being printed. Instead of creating more points of contact with that model, the supports connect to each other for stability and support. This creates less work for the printer, reduces the amount of resin that is wasted, and leads to a smoother surface by reducing the number of contact points on the final model when the scaffolding is removed.

“The team actually had a sketch session where they drew all sorts of different sort of bridges and support structures,” says global marketing lead Colin Raney. “Through this, the winning structure emerged and then they set down and wrote the algorithm that would generate what they had just designed.”

The engineers also needed to be mindful of fluid dynamics. Formlabs’ printers produce parts by curing a photosensitive liquid resin. This requires an efficient flow of the gooey material in the machine’s build chamber. The network of supports couldn’t be allowed to create poor resin flow, creating more complexity for the engineers. “As we generate supports, the algorithm recursively reviews and interprets the entire support structure,” says Formlabs engineer Andrey Mishchenko. “There’s definitely a lot of math and a lot of engineering in those little supports.”

Many low cost printers lack the sophistication to print support structures. Higher-end competitors solve the problem by using multiple materials which often inflates the cost of the machines by 10 fold or more. While their competitors give up or overbuild, Formlabs is doing more by printing less.