4D_Additive: AI-supported 3D nesting for 30 percent higher efficiency

The new version of the universal 3D printing software 4D_Additive 1.6 features AI-supported nesting technology, which enables an average 30 percent increase in efficiency when operating SLS and MJF printers compared to the previous version and other common nesting tools.

The Franco-German software developer CoreTechnologie has completely revised the nesting module of the 4D_Additive software for the automatic placement of the components to be printed in the virtual build space of the 3D printer. The new nesting function achieves significantly higher efficiency with extremely simple operation.

High efficiency and simple operation

Thanks to intelligent pre-sorting of the components to be placed and improved calculation accuracy, the new version of the 4D_Additive software generates unprecedented packing densities. For example, the printing time can be reduced by 30 percent with the same number of parts thanks to a reduced packing height. The higher packing density and lower overall height generate a shorter machine runtime. In practice, the resulting productivity gain is a decisive competitive advantage for all users.

The optimum distribution of the components is important for the surface quality in order to avoid heat nests through even heat distribution. After the actual packing, an automatic optimization process takes place, which ensures that heat pockets are avoided by aligning the components. The lowest height achieved during nesting is retained.

The calculation speed of the new nesting function is significantly reduced by 50 percent or more thanks to better utilization of the multiprocessor calculation and optimized memory management.

Optimized nesting of large components

Thanks to the new nesting function, large components are nested more precisely compared to the machine’s installation space and optimally distributed in terms of the utilization of the available space. Any gaps are used efficiently for the smaller components. As the new nesting technology enables very high packing densities, a limitation parameter can be used to limit the maximum packing density and thus the temperature development.

An exemplary printing process with the HP MJF 4200 printer with a build height of 380 millimetres and 16 hours is nested with a reduced build height of just 283 millimetres instead of 357 millimetres thanks to the new nesting function. The overall height is reduced by 74 millimeters and the resulting printing time is reduced by three hours. The packing density increases from eight to just over ten percent and the duration of the nesting process is reduced from 8 to 3.5 minutes. With 250 production days per year per machine, an increase in efficiency due to the reduction in running time of three hours results in additional productivity of around 750 hours. The reduced cooling time resulting from the shorter printing time potentially saves up to an additional nine hours. The effective production time and production costs are significantly reduced by the new function. This makes additive manufacturing even more attractive for many applications thanks to enormous time and cost savings.