Manufacturing simulation of alternate additive manufacturing method using cubes with CATIA macro programming

Abstract

The present additive manufacturing methods limit to size and the time taken to manufacture the components is also limited because of the layering approach. A layer-less approach is proposed, which is based on arranging different sizes of cubes to achieve the final product. An algorithm is developed and manufacturing feasibility is simulated using CATIA software and its macros. It was found that the components can be manufactured using this additive manufacturing method without the layer approach. The proposed additive manufacturing method and the algorithm can be applied to additive manufacturing situations demanding very large components to be manufactured with less amount of time.