Simulating an intelligent printing control for a digital light processing (DLP) 3D printer

摘要

Effect of separation is often a problem of digital light processing (DLP) 3D printers and considered as a factor to delay the entire process. In traditional applications, a parameter of distance should be set to lift the object plate up for separation and this parameter setting usually exceeds the actual needs. The reason of this over-estimation is due to an open-loop control system without any feedback. In consequence, processing time is much longer than it should be. This paper aims to simulate a closed-loop control to form an intelligent printing system by sensing separation signals. A real time monitor for separation is integrated into the machine and force data will be recorded each cycle. Moreover, the duration of platform travel in each cycle can be estimated by the force profile, thus the time-saving efficiency can be calculated. This method could dramatically increase productivity and shorten processing time of DLP printers.