Modeling and Designing Functionally Graded Material Components for Fabrication with Local Composition Control

Solid Freeform Fabrication (SFF) processes have demonstrated the ability to produce parts with locally controlled composition. In the limit, processes such as 3D Printing can create parts with composition control on a length scale of 100 m. To exploit this potential, new methods to model, exchange, and process parts with local composition control need to be developed. An approach to modeling a part's geometry, topology, and composition is presented. This approach is based on subdividing the solid model into sub-regions and associating analytic composition blending functions with each region. These blending functions de ne the composition throughout the model as mixtures of the primary materials available to the SFF machine. Design tools based upon distance functions are also introduced, such as the speci cation of composition as a function of the distance from the surface of a part. Finally, the role of design rules restricting maximum and minimum concentrations is discussed.