A Design Interface for 3D Manufacturing

广泛使用3D分层制造（如形状沉积制造（SDM）和微机电系统（MEMS）工艺）的关键障碍不是工艺本身的限制，而是工程师探索和掌握扩展设计空间的能力。 一个设计接口，包括交换格式和配套的服务套件，提出了这些过程。 该接口基于以三维设计特征表示的过程相关约束的正式表示，并具有相关规则以确保可制造性。 接口规范将与斯坦福大学、卡内基梅隆大学和其他机构的流程开发人员合作制定，并将建立在交换产品规范和表示制造流程的新兴标准的基础上。 此外，还将开发支持通信基础设施，以便在互联网上交换设计特点、限制、工艺能力和制造分析。 还提出了一系列的设计练习。 这些练习将探索设计师构建可重复使用元件库的能力，以利用MEMS技术进行缩放和小型化，并将探索整合不同机构的设计和流程以创建微型机电系统的可行性。

The key impediment to the widespread use of 3D layered fabrication like Shape Deposition Manufacturing (SDM) and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) processes is not the limitations of the processes themselves, but the ability of engineers to explore and master the expanded design space they enable. A design interface comprising an exchange format and an accompanying suite of services is proposed for these processes. This interface is based on formal representations of process-related constraints expressed in terms of three-dimensional design features with associated rules to ensure manufacturability. The interface specification will be build in collaboration with process developers at Stanford, Carnegie Mellon University and other institutions, and will build upon emerging standards for exchanging product specifications and representing manufacturing processes. In addition, the supporting communication infrastructure for exchanging design features, constraints, process capabilities and manufacturing analyses over the Internet will be developed. A series of design exercises are also proposed. The exercises will explore the ability of designers to construct libraries of re-usable elements to be scaled and miniaturized to take advantage of MEMS technology, and will explore the feasibility of integrating designs and processes from different institutions to create miniature electromechanical systems.