System for automatically manipulating primary packaging in secondary packaging, comprising a robot having at least one robot arm with a clamping gripper installed at a tool centre point, wherein each tool centre point has a force-torque sensor, an image recording module for recording images of at least the upper segment of the primary packaging, comprising at least two stereo cameras for recording 3-D images, and one or more processors for providing a three-dimensional point cloud, controlling the image recording module and controlling the robot on the basis of the analysis of the three-dimensional point cloud and the measurements from the force-torque sensors.

Parameters of a set of tools are stored on a storage device. The tools are part of a manufacturing assembly usable for removing one or more support structures from a part. The support structures are formed with the part to facilitate additive manufacturing of the part. A near-net shape is modeled which includes the part combined with the support structures. A process plan is developed that includes subtractive manufacturing operations by the manufacturing assembly that remove the support structures. The process plan repeatedly updates the near-net shape as each one of the support structures is incrementally removed.

Examples of methods for generating supports are described herein. In some examples, a method includes determining a starting position from a set of voxels of a three-dimensional (3D) object model to be additively manufactured. In some examples, the method also includes generating a support for the 3D object model by traversing a cost field from the starting position.

An additive manufacturing system includes one or more processors configured to determine one or more geometrical characteristics of each of multiple segments of a build part at a candidate position of the build part relative to an additive manufacturing instrument. The one or more geometrical characteristics include an angle of incidence between a beam line extending from an electromagnetic energy source of the additive manufacturing instrument and a surface normal of a respective skin of the corresponding segment proximate to the beam line. The one or more processors are configured to determine, based on one or more geometrical characteristics of the segments at the candidate position, one or more locations of support material to be formed adjacent the build part during a build process of the build part.

Systems and methods including an additive component; a subtractive component; and a processor configured to: receive a contact line associated with a support structure from the additive component; receive geometry associated with an orientation from the additive component; receive data associated with a tool from the subtractive component; generate a subtractive tool path based on the received contact line, the received data associated with the tool, and the received geometry; transmit the generated subtractive tool path to the analysis component for processing tool path validation; and validate, by the analysis component, the tool path based on output from a simulation component to determine whether removal of the support structure from a part is successfully computed by the subtractive component.

An additive manufacturing system includes one or more processors configured to determine one or more geometrical characteristics of each of multiple segments of a build part at a candidate position of the build part relative to an additive manufacturing instrument. The one or more geometrical characteristics include an angle of incidence between a beam line extending from an electromagnetic energy source of the additive manufacturing instrument and a surface normal of a respective skin of the corresponding segment proximate to the beam line. The one or more processors are configured to determine, based on one or more geometrical characteristics of the segments at the candidate position, one or more locations of support material to be formed adjacent the build part during a build process of the build part.

Algorithmic reasoning about a cutting tool assembly's space of feasible configurations can be effectively harnessed to construct a sequence of motions that guarantees a collision-free path for the tool assembly to remove each support structure in the sequence. A greedy algorithm models the motion of the cutting tool assembly through the free-spaces around the intermediate shapes of the part as the free-spaces iteratively reduce in size to the near-net shape to determine feasible points of contact for the cutting tool assembly. Each support beam is evaluated for a contact feature along the boundary of the near-net shape that constitutes a feasible point of contact. If a support beam has at least one feasible configuration at each point, the support beam is deemed ‘accessible’ and a collection of tool assembly configurations that are guaranteed to be non-colliding but which can access all points of contact of each accessible support beam can be generated.

Algorithmic reasoning about a cutting tool assembly's space of feasible configurations can be effectively harnessed to construct a sequence of motions that guarantees a collision-free path for the tool assembly to remove each support structure in the sequence. A greedy algorithm models the motion of the cutting tool assembly through the free-spaces around the intermediate shapes of the part as the free-spaces iteratively reduce in size to the near-net shape to determine feasible points of contact for the cutting tool assembly. Each support beam is evaluated for a contact feature along the boundary of the near-net shape that constitutes a feasible point of contact. If a support beam has at least one feasible configuration at each point, the support beam is deemed accessible and a collection of tool assembly configurations that are guaranteed to be non-colliding but which can access all points of contact of each accessible support beam can be generated.

Algorithmic reasoning about a cutting tool assembly's space of feasible configurations can be effectively harnessed to construct a sequence of motions that guarantees a collision-free path for the tool assembly to remove each support structure in the sequence. A greedy algorithm models the motion of the cutting tool assembly through the free-spaces around the intermediate shapes of the part as the free-spaces iteratively reduce in size to the near-net shape to determine feasible points of contact for the cutting tool assembly. Each support beam is evaluated for a contact feature along the boundary of the near-net shape that constitutes a feasible point of contact. If a support beam has at least one feasible configuration at each point, the support beam is deemed accessible and a collection of tool assembly configurations that are guaranteed to be non-colliding but which can access all points of contact of each accessible support beam can be generated.

A device generating modeled object data representing a modeled object created while supported by pillar-shaped supports using a 3D printer includes a storage to store data of a body and data of the supports, a layout determiner to determine a layout of the body of the modeled object in a building area of the 3D printer, a display controller to display an image of the body with the determined layout, a support arrangement determiner to determine build positions to create the supports of the modeled object in the determined layout, and a modeled object data generator to generate the modeled object data representing the modeled object in a state where the modeled object is created, each build position to create the support being determined by the support arrangement determiner at a locally highest point parallel to a horizontal plane and protruding thereabove in the vertical direction, the locally highest point being located at a position lower than a top end of the support.