THE OPTIMIZATION OF SURFACE QUALITYIN RAPID PROTOTYPING PROCESSES

This paper presents two numerical methods for optimal orientation of the 3D model on the working platform of the Rapid Prototyping systems, so that the surface regions with higher staircase effect to be as small as possible. The first method, totally automated, find out the angles needed to rotate the 3D model around Ox and Oy axis, so that the number of the triangular facets of the 3D model in stl fin-mat, whose slope does not fulfill an initial condition, is minim. The second method involves the user intervention and is based on the visualization with a contrast color of those triangular facets whose slope does not fulfill an initial condition. Both methods represent valuable tools in rapid prototyping manufacturing.