Algorithm speeds 3D printing by 2X
Seen as one of the biggest drawbacks to the adoption of 3D printing, the issue of slow printing speed is being addressed with a new algorithm that works by preemptively compensating for the vibrations caused by 3D printers as they work. According to the algorithm’s developers, it allows printers to deliver high-quality results at speeds up to two times faster than those in common use, with no added hardware costs.
The vibrations caused by the working movable parts of 3D printers – especially lighter-weight desktop models – reduce the quality of the items being printed, thus becoming a major factor in a printer’s performance. The faster a printer works, the more vibrations it creates, limiting the speed at which it can produce high-resolution results.
“Armed with knowledge of the printer’s dynamic behavior, the program anticipates when the printer may vibrate excessively and adjusts its motions accordingly,” says Chinedum Okwudire, an associate professor of mechanical engineering who directs the University of Michigan’s Smart and Sustainable Automation Research Lab.
The algorithm is described in a paper – “A limited-preview filtered B-spline approach to tracking control – With application to vibration-induced error compensation of a 3D printer” – published in the journal Mechatronics. The researchers showed a successful example of the algorithm’s use by printing a replica of the U.S. Capital at 2X speed on a HICTOP Prusa i3 3D printer both with and without applying the algorithm (see image).
“Eventually,” says Okwudire, “one of the places we would want to see the algorithm applied is in the firmware – the software that runs on the printer itself. That way, it will be integrated with the printers, regardless of the size.”
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