U.S. Patent No. 9,844,917
Published in USPTO, 2017
đź“Ś Overview
The patent describes improved support structures used in additive manufacturing (e.g. selective laser melting) to ensure the integrity of solid 3D-printed models.
⚙️ Key Innovations
- Optimized support generation for complex geometries through adaptive strategies.
- Tailored support placement, considering part geometry to reduce material use and minimize post‑processing.
- Designed for compatibility with metal and polymer 3D printing workflows.
🚀 Benefits & Applications
- Reduces material waste and print time by minimizing unnecessary supports.
- Improves surface quality and reduces post-print processing, making it easier to release the printed part.
- Offers better thermal and mechanical stability during layer-by-layer fabrication, leading to higher-quality prints for solid models.
🧠TL;DP Summary Table
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Patent No. | US 9,844,917 B2 |
| Issue Date | December 19, 2017 |
| Assignee | Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Inc. |
| Focus | Support structures optimized for additive manufacturing workflows |
| Function | Adaptive support generation; geometry-aware placement |
| Key benefit | Reduces material use, improved surface quality, easier support removal |
BibTeX Citation:
@misc {burhop2017support, title= {Support structures for additive manufacturing of solid models} , author= {Burhop, Mark R and Madeley, David and Musuvathy, Suraj and Arisoy, Erhan and Slavin, Edward and Bank, Hasan} , year= {2017} , month=dec # "~19", publisher= {Google Patents} , note= {US Patent 9,844,917} }