KR20240056408A - Apparatus and memethod for analyzing feature informaton of 3d printer output - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for analyzing feature information of 3D printer output, comprising: a processor; and a memory that stores instructions executed by the processor, where the processor analyzes the CAD (Computer Aided Design) file to extract basic information of the product, analyzes the slicing file to extract output analysis information, and then extracts the basic information and It is characterized by extracting output characteristic information based on output analysis information.

Description

3D printer output feature information analysis device and method {APPARATUS AND MEMETHOD FOR ANALYZING FEATURE INFORMATON OF 3D PRINTER OUTPUT}

The present invention relates to a 3D printer output feature information analysis device and method, and more specifically, to a 3D printer output feature information analysis device and method for extracting output feature information for automating 3D printer post-processing equipment.

If you want to print a product using a 3D printer, you can use a slicing file based on the design information of the object.

CAD information contains design information about products or objects.

A slicing file is an information file that designs how to print an object extracted from CAD information layer by layer on an actual printer. The operator creates a slicing file by designing the number and arrangement structure of objects placed on the output board, inner and outer wall structures, and product support supporters.

Meanwhile, in order to manage the output after printing, for example, an automated post-processing process, information about the structure and shape of the product and the size and number of printed products is required. However, since the relevant information was not included in the design information or slicing information, there was a problem in that it was difficult to perform the post-processing automation process.

The background technology of the present invention is disclosed in Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2020-0075155 (2020.06.26).

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a 3D printer output feature information analysis device and method that analyzes design information and slicing information and extracts output feature information necessary to perform output management after printing.

A 3D printer output characteristic information analysis device according to some embodiments of the present invention includes a processor; and a memory that stores instructions executed by the processor, wherein the processor extracts basic information of the product by analyzing a CAD (Computer Aided Design) file, extracts output analysis information by analyzing the slicing file, and then extracts the output analysis information. It is characterized by extracting output characteristic information based on basic information and the output analysis information.

The 3D printer output feature information analysis device and method according to one aspect of the present invention can analyze CAD information and slicing information to extract output feature information such as product size, product shape, product volume, product number, and filling level.

Figure 1 is a block diagram of a 3D printer output feature information analysis device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a flowchart of a method for analyzing feature information of a 3D printer output according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the process of extracting basic information of the product of Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the process of extracting the product size, product shape, and product volume of Figure 3.
Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the process of extracting the number of products and total output material usage in Figure 3.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the process of extracting feature information of the output of FIG. 2.

Hereinafter, an example of an apparatus and method for analyzing feature information of a 3D printer output according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this process, the thickness of lines or sizes of components shown in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity and convenience of explanation. In addition, the terms described below are terms defined in consideration of functions in the present invention, and may vary depending on the intention or custom of the user or operator. Therefore, definitions of these terms should be made based on the content throughout this specification.

Figure 1 is a block diagram of a 3D printer output feature information analysis device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, an apparatus for analyzing feature information of a 3D printer output according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a memory 100 and a processor 200.

The memory 100 may store instructions for performing operations, steps, etc. according to an embodiment of the present invention. That is, the memory 100 can store commands for extracting output characteristic information such as product size, product shape, product volume, product number, and filling level (density) by analyzing design information and slicing information.

Memory 100 may store various data used by processor 200. Data may include input data or output data for software and instructions related thereto.

The memory 100 is a flash memory type, hard disk type, multimedia card micro type, card type memory, RAM (Random Access Memory), and SRAM (Static Random). Access Memory), ROM (Read-Only Memory), PROM (Programmable Read-Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), and EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory). You can.

The processor 200 may execute instructions stored in the memory 100.

The processor 200 may receive a CAD (Computer Aided Design) file and a slicing file extracted from the CAD file.

The processor 200 can analyze the CAD file to extract basic information about the product and analyze the slicing file to extract output analysis information. Next, the processor 200 may extract output characteristic information based on the basic information and output analysis information.

Output characteristic information is information that can be used in output management, for example, in post-processing automation processes.

The output characteristic information may include, but is not particularly limited to, product size, product number, product shape, product volume, and filling information.

Product size, product number, product shape, product volume, and filling information are described later.

The processor 200 may include an input information analysis unit 210, a design model information analysis unit 220, an output model information analysis unit 230, and an integrated information analysis unit 240.

The input information analysis unit 210 can receive CAD files and slicing files.

The input information analysis unit 210 may analyze the file types of the CAD file and the slicing file to distinguish the file types of the CAD file and the slicing file.

The input information analysis unit 210 can convert the CAD file into a file of a preset setting type and extract the type of object to be output based on the number of files in the CAD file.

The setting type may be a file type suitable for analysis by the design model information analysis unit 220. In this embodiment, the STEP type is explained as an example as the setting type.

The input information analysis unit 210 may input a CAD file into the design model information analysis unit 220.

The input information analysis unit 210 may analyze the slicing file to distinguish whether the slicing file is from a nozzle-type 3D printer or an optical 3D printer.

The input information analysis unit 210 may input the slicing file into the output model information analysis unit 230.

The design model information analysis unit 220 can extract basic product information from a STEP format file.

Basic information about a product may include product size, product shape, and product volume. The type of basic product information is not particularly limited.

The output model information analysis unit 230 can extract output analysis information by analyzing the slicing file.

Print analysis information may include product count and total print material usage. The type of output analysis information is not particularly limited.

The output model information analysis unit 230 can distinguish whether the slicing file is a file from a nozzle-type 3D printer or an optical 3D printer. Depending on whether the slicing file is from a nozzle-type 3D printer or an optical 3D printer, the output model information analysis unit 230 can extract the number of products from the slicing file.

Additionally, the output model information analysis unit 230 can extract the total output material usage based on the amount of materials used in the product.

The integrated information analysis unit 240 may extract output characteristic information based on the basic information output from the design model information analysis unit 220 and the output analysis information output from the output model information analysis unit 230.

The integrated information analysis unit 240 can extract filling information using the product volume, number of products, and total output material usage for all output.

In this embodiment, to facilitate understanding of the embodiment, the input information analysis unit 210, the design model information analysis unit 220, the output model information analysis unit 230, and the integrated information analysis unit 240 are installed within the processor 200. Although described as a separate configuration, depending on the embodiment, the processor 200 may be implemented as a configuration that performs each sub-configuration integratedly.

Meanwhile, the processor 200 may be implemented as a central processing unit (CPU) or a system on chip (SoC), and may include a plurality of hardware or software components connected to the processor 200 by running an operating system or application. can be controlled, and various data processing and calculations can be performed. The processor 200 may be configured to execute at least one command stored in the memory 100 and store execution result data in the memory 100 . To this end, the processor 200 includes Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), Digital Signal Processor (DSP), Programmable Logic Devices (PLD), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Central Processing unit (CPU), microcontrollers, and /or may be implemented with or include at least one of microprocessors.

Hereinafter, a method for analyzing feature information of a 3D printer output according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 6.

Figure 2 is a flowchart of a method for analyzing feature information of a 3D printer output according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Figure 2, first, the input information analysis unit 210 inputs the CAD file into the design model information input unit (S1100).

The input information analysis unit 210 may analyze the file types of the CAD file and the slicing file to distinguish between the CAD file and the slicing file type.

Here, the input information analysis unit 210 can distinguish the format of the CAD file. For example, the input information analysis unit 210 may distinguish CAD files into STEP, STL, OBJ, etc.

The input information analysis unit 210 can extract the type of object to be output based on the number of CAD files.

The input information analysis unit 210 may convert the CAD file into a preset STEP format file according to the format of the CAD file, and input the SETP format file into the design model information analysis unit 220.

The design model information analysis unit 220 can extract basic product information from the STEP format file received from the input information analysis unit 210 (S1200).

Basic information about a product may include product size, product shape, and product volume.

Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the process of extracting basic information of the product of Figure 2.

Referring to FIG. 3, the design model information analysis unit 220 can receive a STEP format file from the input information analysis unit 210 (S1210).

The design model information analysis unit 220 analyzes the input STEP format file and extracts the product size, product shape, and product volume (S1220).

Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the process of extracting the product size, product shape, and product volume of Figure 3.

Referring to FIG. 4, the design model information analysis unit 220 may analyze the product size based on the boundary box of the product. That is, the design model information analysis unit 220 can analyze the product size by analyzing the outermost point of a single product in a STEP format file (S1222).

The design model information analysis unit 220 can image the product from various angles and extract the product shape through image processing techniques (S1224). The design model information analysis unit 220 can distinguish product shapes into spheres, cylinders, polyhedrons, etc.

The design model information analysis unit 220 can extract the product volume by integrating the interlayer area of the product based on the point, line, and surface information of a single product in the STEP file (S1226).

The design model information analysis unit 220 may input basic product information into the integrated information analysis unit 240.

Meanwhile, the input information analysis unit 210 may input the slicing file into the output model information analysis unit 230 (S1300).

The input information analysis unit 210 can distinguish the file type of the slicing file through analysis of the extension name or file structure of the slicing file. In this case, the input information analysis unit 210 determines whether the slicing file is a file of a nozzle type, for example, a FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) type 3D printer, or an optical 3D printer such as SLA (Stereolithography Apparatus) or DLP (Digital Light Processing). You can distinguish whether it is a printer file or not.

The input information analysis unit 210 may input the slicing file into the output model information analysis unit 230.

The output model information analysis unit 230 may extract output analysis information by analyzing the slicing file (S1400).

Referring to FIG. 3, the output model information analysis unit 230 may receive a slicing file from the input information analysis unit 210 (S1410).

The output model information analysis unit 230 may extract output analysis information by analyzing the slicing file (S1420).

The output analysis information may include product count and filling information.

Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the process of extracting the number of products and total output material usage in Figure 3.

Referring to FIG. 5, the output model information analysis unit 230 can analyze information on the output from the slicing file to distinguish whether the slicing file is from a nozzle-type 3D printer or an optical 3D printer (S1422).

If the slicing file is from a nozzle-type 3D printer, the output model information analysis unit 230 can extract the number of products by analyzing the product shape based on the presence or absence of nozzle output in Gcode. That is, the output model information analysis unit 230 can extract how many independently output products there are by analyzing the stacked product form based on the presence or absence of nozzle output in Gcode (S1424).

If the slicing file is a file from an optical 3D printer, the output model information analysis unit 230 can distinguish the contrast area and the non-contrast area in the single-layer modeling image and stack them according to the list to extract the number of products. That is, the output model information analysis unit 230 distinguishes contrast areas and non-contrast areas in the tomography image through an image processing technique from a slicing program consisting of a header file and a list of tomographic contrast images, stacks them according to the list, and outputs them independently. It is possible to extract how many products there are (S1426).

Additionally, the output model information analysis unit 230 can extract the total output material usage from the amount of material used for each product in a nozzle-type 3D printer or optical 3D printer (S1428).

The output model information analysis unit 230 may input the above output analysis information into the integrated information analysis unit 240.

Meanwhile, the integrated information analysis unit 240 can extract output characteristic information based on the basic information output from the design model information analysis unit 220 and the output analysis information output from the output model information analysis unit 230 (S1500 ).

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the process of extracting feature information of the output of FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 6, the integrated information analysis unit 240 may receive basic information from the design model information analysis unit 220 and output analysis information from the output model information analysis unit 230 (S1510).

The integrated information analysis unit 240 can extract the filling level as follows using the product volume input from the design model information analysis unit 220 and the output analysis information input from the output model information analysis unit 230 (S1520 ).

Filling degree = Total output material usage / (Number of products × Product volume)

In this way, the integrated information analysis unit 240 can output output feature information by extracting fill information.

The term “unit” used in this specification may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with terms such as logic, logic block, component, or circuit, for example. A “part” may be an integral part or a minimum unit of the part or a part thereof that performs one or more functions. For example, according to one embodiment, “boo” may be implemented in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

The present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, but these are merely illustrative, and those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications and other equivalent embodiments are possible therefrom. You will understand. Therefore, the scope of technical protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the patent claims below.

100: memory
200: processor
210: Input information analysis unit
220: Design model information analysis unit
230: Output model information analysis unit
240: Integrated Information Analysis Department

Claims (1)

processor; and
Includes a memory that stores instructions executed by the processor,
The processor extracts basic product information by analyzing a CAD (Computer Aided Design) file, extracts output analysis information by analyzing a slicing file, and then extracts output characteristic information based on the basic information and the output analysis information. Printer output characteristic information analysis device.

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