As-Continuous-As-Possible Extrusion-Based Fabrication of Surface Models

In this study, we propose a computational framework for optimizing the continuity of the toolpath in fabricating surface models on an extrusion-based 3D printer. Toolpath continuity is a critical issue that influences both the quality and the efficiency of extrusion-based fabrication. Transfer moves lead to rough and bumpy surfaces, where this phenomenon worsens for materials with large viscosity, like clay. The effects of continuity on the surface models are even more severe in terms of the quality of the surface and the stability of the model. We introduce a criterion called the one–path patch (OPP) to represent a patch on the surface of the shell that can be traversed along one path by considering the constraints on fabrication. We study the properties of the OPPs and their merging operations to propose a bottom-up OPP merging procedure to decompose the given shell surface into a minimal number of OPPs, and to generate the “as-continuous-as-possible” (ACAP) toolpath. Furthermore, we augment the path planning algorithm with a curved-layer printing scheme that reduces staircase defects and improves the continuity of the toolpath by connecting multiple segments. We evaluated the ACAP algorithm on ceramic and thermoplastic materials, and the results showed that it improves the fabrication of surface models in terms of both efficiency and surface quality.