A Heterogeneous Infill Technique for Fused Deposition Modeling

Abstract

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) is one of the most commonly employed Additive Manufacturing technologies worldwide. FDM parts are composed by layers of thermoplastic materials deposited through the controlled movement of one or more extrusion heads. Material deposition is usually performed in two distinct steps, the first involving the construction of the layer’s boundary and the second concerning the inner structure or infill. In the present paper an infill technique for the fabrication of parts with heterogeneous internal structure is proposed. To achieve this, the layer area is subdivided into sections which are covered by deposition paths of appropriate length according to material mapping information. Two path construction approaches are employed: one for establishing deposition paths for inner sections and another for drawing paths of peripheral sections. In order to test the effectiveness of the approach several test cases, involving relatively complex layer shapes and material distribution schemes are examined.