Technology Category
Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Mixed Discrete/Continuous PlanningHumans and AI: Planning and Decision Support for Human-Machine TeamsSearch and Optimization: Mixed Discrete/Continuous Search
Can any model be fabricated? Inverse operation based planning for hybrid additive-subtractive manufacturing
🤖 AI Summary
Operation sequence planning for hybrid additive-subtractive manufacturing (HADD) of arbitrarily shaped parts remains challenging due to geometric complexity and intermediate shape instability.
Method: We propose a unified inverse-planning framework that starts from the target model and iteratively applies reversible additive “retraction” and subtractive “undo” operations until reaching an empty shape. The approach employs voxel-based modeling and a scalable search algorithm, with theoretical guarantees of solution existence for any manufacturable geometry. It inherently supports automatic tool switching and scales to large models.
Contribution/Results: We validate the algorithm on multiple complex digital models and demonstrate high-precision physical fabrication on a hybrid manufacturing platform. Experimental results confirm both process feasibility and robust structural stability throughout the entire machining sequence—addressing critical challenges in HADD planning and execution.
Technology Category
Application Category
📝 Abstract
This paper presents a method for computing interleaved additive and subtractive manufacturing operations to fabricate models of arbitrary shapes. We solve the manufacturing planning problem by searching a sequence of inverse operations that progressively transform a target model into a null shape. Each inverse operation corresponds to either an additive or a subtractive step, ensuring both manufacturability and structural stability of intermediate shapes throughout the process. We theoretically prove that any model can be fabricated exactly using a sequence generated by our approach. To demonstrate the effectiveness of this method, we adopt a voxel-based implementation and develop a scalable algorithm that works on models represented by a large number of voxels. Our approach has been tested across a range of digital models and further validated through physical fabrication on a hybrid manufacturing system with automatic tool switching.
Problem
Research questions and friction points this paper is trying to address.
Computing interleaved additive and subtractive manufacturing operations
Ensuring manufacturability and structural stability throughout fabrication
Fabricating models of arbitrary shapes using inverse operations
Innovation
Methods, ideas, or system contributions that make the work stand out.
Inverse operation sequence planning
Hybrid additive-subtractive manufacturing method
Voxel-based scalable fabrication algorithm
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