Shape Deviation Generator—A Convolution Framework for Learning and Predicting 3-D Printing Shape Accuracy

The 3-D shape accuracy is a critical performance measure for products built via additive manufacturing (AM). With advances in computing and increased accessibility of AM product data, machine learning for AM (ML4AM) has become a viable strategy for enhancing 3-D printing performance. A proper description of the 3-D shape formation through the layer-by-layer fabrication process is critical to ML4AM, such as feature selection and AM process modeling. The physics-based modeling and simulation approaches present voxel-level description of an object formation from points to lines, lines to surfaces, and surfaces to 3-D shapes. However, this computationally intensive modeling framework does not provide a clear structure for machine learning of AM data. Significant progress has been made to model and predict the shape accuracy of planar objects under data analytical frameworks. In order to predict, learn, and compensate for 3-D shape deviations using shape measurement data, we propose a shape deviation generator (SDG) under a novel convolution formulation to facilitate the learning and prediction of 3-D printing accuracy. The shape deviation representation, individual layer input function, and layer-to-layer transfer function for the convolution modeling framework are proposed and derived. A deconvolution problem for identifying the transfer function is formulated to capture the interlayer interaction and error accumulation effects in the layer-by-layer fabrication processes. Physics-informed sequential model estimation is developed to fully establish the SDG models. The Gaussian process regression is adopted to capture spatial correlations. The printed 2-D and 3-D shapes via a stereolithography (SLA) process are used to demonstrate the proposed modeling framework and derive new process insights for AM processes. Note to Practitioners-With advances in computing and increased availability of product data, machine learning for additive manufacturing (ML4AM) has become a viable strategy for enhancing 3-D printing accuracy. This work establishes the shape deviation generator (SDG) as a novel data analytical framework through a convolution formulation to model the 3-D shape formation in the AM process. This new engineering-informed machine-learning framework will facilitate the learning of AM data to establish models for geometric shape accuracy prediction and control.