A Multi-Part Production Planning Framework for Additive Manufacturing of Unrelated Parallel Fused Filament Fabrication 3D Printers

摘要

Fostering the development of additive manufacturing (AM) in the context of mass production is a key factor to ensure its adoption in the industry. It should be remembered that thistechnology intrinsically makes it possible to produce parts with unexpected complexities in termsof shape and structure, but this comes at a price: time. To overcome this productivity barrier, AMtechnology providers are developing 3D printing machines with high-speed performance and massreproduction means in a single run. Although such trends can be seen as a natural evolution ofthis technology with respect to current consumption patterns, it still remains a scientific issue onproduction planning to be tackled. The objective is to address the on-demand production planningof different AM parts in FabLabs composed of unrelated parallel 3D printers. A novel frameworkis introduced to consider part orientation, path planning, and part-to-printer assignment, with aspecific focus on fused filament fabrication technique. By targeting a minimum production time, itexhibits reasoning algorithms implemented in a Python application. A case study with a batch ofsix non-identical parts and two fused filament fabrication 3D printers is introduced to illustrate theadded value of the framework and its operational side.