COMPUTATIONAL TOOL FOR

AM
POST PROCESSING

Kirubakaran R
2023206029
• In additive manufacturing (AM), post-processing plays a crucial role
in refining the final product by improving its surface finish,
mechanical properties, or overall quality.

• Several computational tools are used for post-processing in AM,

focusing on tasks like simulation, optimization, and automation of
finishing steps.
 Post processing is essential for improving the part’s aesthetics,
functionality, dimensional accuracy, mechanical properties, and surface
quality. Post-processing can vary depending on the type of material
used, the printing technology, and the desired final application of the
part.

1. Support Removal
During printing, support structures are often needed to hold the
part in place or prevent overhangs from collapsing. After printing, these
supports need to be removed.
Methods: Manual removal, dissolvable supports (for materials like
PVA), chemical baths, and ultrasonic cleaning.
 Support Removal by manual method

Source: https://additive-x.com/blog/3d-support-material-what-it-is-and-how-to-remove-it
2. Surface Finishing
3D-printed parts often have visible layer lines, surface roughness,
or imperfections that require smoothing.
Methods:
• Sanding: Manually or using automated machines to remove layer
lines.
• Chemical Smoothing: Using solvents (e.g., acetone vapor for ABS) to
smooth the surface.
• Shot Blasting or Tumbling: Mechanical processes that smooth out
surfaces by abrasion.
• Electropolishing: Used for metal parts to remove a thin layer of
material, making the surface smoother.
3. Thermal Treatment
Heat treatment is applied to improve mechanical properties such
as strength, hardness, and durability.
Methods:
• Annealing: Heating parts to relieve internal stresses and improve
toughness.
• Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP): Mainly for metal AM parts, HIP
reduces porosity and improves material density by applying high
pressure and temperature.
• Sintering: For powder-based AM techniques (like Binder Jetting),
sintering binds the powder particles into a solid part.
4. Machining
Parts are sometimes machined to achieve tighter tolerances or
specific geometric features that aren’t possible directly from the 3D printer.
Methods: CNC machining, drilling, milling, or grinding.
5. Painting and Coating
Adding a surface coating or paint to improve aesthetics, surface protection,
or specific functional properties.
Methods:
• Painting: Applying paints to improve appearance.
• Powder Coating: Adding a durable, protective layer.
• Electroplating: Coating a metal layer onto plastic parts for
enhanced strength or conductivity.
• Ceramic Coating: Applied to enhance heat and wear resistance
for certain parts.
6. Infiltration
This process is used to increase the density, strength, and
appearance of the part by filling in porous areas.
Methods: Using wax, epoxy, or other resins to fill gaps in the printed
part, especially for powder-based methods.
 Surface Finishing and Optimization Tools
• ANSYS Additive Suite: Provides solutions for stress, deformation, and
thermal management during the post-processing of AM parts.
• Autodesk Netfabb: Focuses on optimizing the design and enhancing
surface quality of 3D-printed parts. It also provides tools for machine
simulation and workflow automation.
• Materialise Magics: Used for preparing 3D-printed parts, including
support generation and surface smoothing techniques.
• Simplify3D: Offers post-processing features like optimizing the
surface finish and eliminating imperfections.
Simulation and Thermal Management
• Simufact Additive: A powerful tool that simulates the entire AM
process, including post-processing steps like heat treatment. It helps in
predicting deformations, residual stresses, and shrinkage.
• MSC Software - Digimat AM: A multiscale material modeling tool for
optimizing materials and simulating the post-processing stages such as
thermal effects and mechanical properties improvements.
• 3DCS Variation Analyst: A tolerance analysis tool that helps in
predicting the impact of manufacturing variation and deformation
during post-processing.
• Thermal Simulation Software (ANSYS, Altair): Used for managing
heat dissipation and thermal stresses, especially during steps like
annealing and hot isostatic pressing (HIP).
Image Processing Assisted Tools for Pre- and Post-
Processing Operations in Additive Manufacturing

Rohit Vaidya and Sam Anand Center for Global Design and Manufacturing Department
of Mechanical and Materials Engineering University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
45221.
Journal : Procedia Manufacturing Volume 5, 2016, Pages 958–973
Support removability analysis tool is developed by performing color-based
segmentation on sectional image snapshots in conjunction with a pixel
traversal approach. Using the segmented images and sectional bounding box,
a sintering area and time calculation tool for each layer is also developed.
Structure of Image processing assisted tools
• The segmented image and 2D bounding box data from previous
analysis are also used to calculate sintering area and time for each
layer and the complete part model. Based on the developed
algorithms, 1-click tools are developed in CAD software.
• The supports removability calculation begins by importing the CAD
model for part geometry and the support structures required to build
the part.
• For ease of image processing, the part geometry and the support
structure geometry are marked as two different colors within the CAD
software.
• The part model is marked as blue,
supports are marked as red and void space
is marked as white.
• In order to identify the eight directions of
accessibility (four orthogonal and four
diagonal), sectional snapshots of the
combined part and support geometry are
captured iteratively.
• Snapshots are captured along parallel
planes orthogonal to the build direction i.e.
if the build direction is Z+, snapshots are
captured either along X or Y axis.
• The pixels of the captured snapshot are
categorized into part, support or void using
color-based segmentation
Flowchart for Supports removability
calculator
Segregation of Support pixels into Accessible and
Inaccessible
• In the segmented image, for all the pixels marked with 2
i.e. support pixels, we need to decide if they are
accessible from outside and removable.
• removability of supports structures is checked along 18
directions; 6 orthogonal directions and 12 diagonal
directions.
• This is achieved in 2 different stages. In the first stage,
during the iterative snapshot generation, the
removability of support pixels along 8 directions is
identified.
• The pixel is termed as accessible and is marked as 3 only
if it can reach a border void pixel (0 pixel) of the snapshot
without being obstructed by any part pixel i.e. pixel
marked with 1 as shown in Figure 11.
• At the end of the first stage, 8 directional analysis for each
sectional snapshot generates a 3D matrix for the entire
part.
• Using this matrix, pixel traversal for the remaining 10
directions is performed. These directions include 2
orthogonal, 4 lateral diagonal, and 4 longitudinal diagonal
directions
• During pixel traversal in 3D matrix, each support pixel is
marked as accessible (pixel marked as 3) if it can reach
either the face or the edge of 3D matrix without
encountering any other part pixel.
Thus, we can calculate percentage of removable support
structures as follows:
Thank You