Publication Type
Journal
Journal Name
3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing
Publication Date
Page Numbers
98 to 104
Volume
4
Issue
2
Abstract
We develop a method for programming minimal time tool paths for single-bead-wide extrusions in additive manufacturing (AM) along an arbitrary lattice. We present a graphical model of the three-dimensional (3D) printing process and use the solution to the Chinese Postman Problem (CPP) to optimize the motion of an extruder on a given mesh. We present some graph theory background and explain how to solve the CPP. We then present experimental results, in which we demonstrate the implementation of the CPP in 3D printing. Last, we explain how our graphical understanding of AM can be further utilized to achieve greater optimization in additive research.
