Tool Path Planning for Directional Freezing Based 3D Nano Printing Process

Abstract

As an emerging and effective nano-manufacturing technology, the directional freezing based 3D printing can form 3-Dimensional (3D) nano-structures with complex shapes and superior functionalities, and thus has received ever increasing publicity in the past years. One of the key challenges in this process is the proper heat management, since the heat induced melting and solidification process significantly affects the functional integrity and structural integrity of the 3D printed nano-structures. To address this challenge, this paper proposes a novel path planning modeling and optimization framework to intelligently control the internal and external heat transfer process and ultimately optimize both the macro- and micro-structure of the printed part. Specifically, a heuristic tool path planning model was formulated and optimized based on thermal analysis process. The simulation results demonstrate that the tool path planning highly affects the spatial and temporal temperature distribution of the being printed part and the optimized tool path planning can effectively improve the uniformity of the temperature distribution which will consequently enhance the performance of the fabricated nano-structures.