A new slicing procedure for rapid prototyping systems

The current slicing rule of most rapid prototyping (RP) systems cannot ensu re unilateral tolerances on the whole prototype and often results in proble ms of overcut and undercut on the same part. This drawback leads to unsatis factory precision of the part in post processing. In order to reduce the ab ove problems, a new slicing method is proposed in this paper. Based on the geometry information in a stereolithography (STL) file, an algorithm is dev eloped. The appropriate slicing rule is selected according to the inner pro duct of the normal vector and working direction of the part, together with the function of the part to be manufactured. The STL file is cut into 2D se ctions and an accurate contour is calculated. After the slicing computation , an appropriate working path is produced. The rules proposed in this paper have been verified. This work contributes to the improvement of slicing ru les in existing RP systems, especially in systems using uniform thickness s licing. It also improves manufacturing efficiency and working tolerances.