5-Axis Slicing Methods for Additive Manufacturing Process

• DOI: 10.26153/16913
• Publication Date: 2017-01-01
• Authors: Sajan Kapil; Seema Negi; Prathamesh Joshi; Jitendra Sonwane; Arun Kumar Sharma; Ranjeet Kumar Bha...; K. P. Karunakaran
• Keywords: 0209 industrial biotechnology; 5-axis cladding; hybrid layered manufacturing; non-planar slicing; 5-axis slicing; 02 engineering and technology; rapid prototyping

In metallic Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes such as Hybrid Layered Manufacturing (HLM), it is difficult to remove the support material used for realizing the overhanging/undercut features. Multi-axis kinematics can be used to eliminate the requirement of the support mechanism. In this work, two slicing methods have been proposed which utilize the benefits of multi-axis kinematics to eliminate the support mechanism. In the first method, planar slicing is used and the overhanging/undercut features are realized while keeping the growth of the component in the conventional Z-direction. In the second method, non-planar slicing is used, and the growth of the component need not necessarily be in the Z-direction; it can also be conformal to the selected feature of the component. Both these methods are explained through a case study of manufacturing an impeller by the HLM process.