Build Orientation Optimization

Different views of a product in design to manufacturing cycle. The four views of 1) as-designed, 2) as-planned, 3) as-manufactured, and 4) as-analyzed are interdependent and are traditionally reconciled through costly trial and error cycles. In this paper, we focus on the as-planned view for a hybrid AM-then-SM process such as metal-AM, where we find the optimal build orientation used in AM while considering the removability of support structures in a subsequent SM stage. Since we are not considering changing the as-designed model, there is no guarantee that all supports will be removable and there may be secluded supports even at the optimal build orientation. The secluded regions will introduce discrepancies between the as-designed (intended) and as-manufactured (produced) parts.