Research On Functional Gradient Material Parts CAD Modeling And Deposition Path Planning

Functional gradient material parts has been playing an important role in many areas such as aerospace, energy engineering , machinery engineering ,mechanical engineering increasingly. Plasma deposition manufacturing technology which is based on adding materials manufacturing principle can shape geometry and gradual material distribution simultaneously according to digital design. It has a unique advantage in short process FGM parts freeform fabrication compared with traditional processes. In order to achieve the digital concurrent design and manufacturing of FGM parts, first we need a CAD model which includes both geometry information and material information of objects,second we need to research process planning of plasma deposition manufacturing process of FGM parts . All above research provides a data support for shortened process FGM parts freeform fabrication.This paper presented an approach to voxelize stereo lithography ( STL) surface models based slice method, which can transform the STL surface model into a three-dimensional voxel model efficiently. By digital distance transform, a distance field is calculated from the voxels to the reference features selected. The functional gradient material modeling is based on the three-dimensional voxel model . Selecting the geometrical features in surface of object as a reference features of material distribution , specifing material distribution functions in terms of distance functions, the FGM model of a complex mechanical part can be established. The material information can be incorporated with the geometry information by adopting above modeling approach and provide a FGM model for succedent process planning.A FGM model slicing method as well as path-planning method based on plane slicing are studied in this paper. An computing method of the layer thickness of slicing the functionally gradient material components was suggested by considering the error of both the geometry shape and the material distribution. A novel approach of path planning for 2D layer of FGM objects, termed as iso-composition line, is proposed based on analysis of FGM manufacturing process. A novel approach of FGM model slicing method based on iso-composition surface slicing is proposed, which decreases numbers of material component change during FGM manufacturing process , guarantees the stability of the manufacturing process and the quality of parts , save components manufacturing time.Then , path planning methods on surface of plasma deposition manufacturing is studied.In addition, the FGM modeling & process planning software is also developed by Microsoft Visual C++6.0 tool with Object Oriented Technology. The software contains functions of FGM modeling , FGM object slicing , path planning. It establish a framework for further development.