Toolpath planning for continuous-fiber printing
Plan fiber paths around part geometry, load direction and the constraints of your printing process.
What is continuous-fiber 3D printing?
Continuous-fiber printing combines a polymer with long strands of reinforcement. The printer places these strands along planned routes inside the part. Their direction, bends and interruptions are part of the manufacturing plan.
- Place reinforcement in the directions that need to carry load.
- Choose which regions need additional reinforcement.
- Develop lightweight parts with reinforcement adapted to their geometry.
Connect structural intent to a printable path
Flexam develops fiber toolpaths around geometry and user-defined or simulation-derived load directions. Path planning also has to account for the placement head, material and permitted turns.
Fiber continuity
Plan starts, stops and connections to reduce unnecessary fiber cuts.
Load directions
Use supplied orientation data to guide the reinforcement strategy.
Turn constraints
Account for minimum bend radius and other placement limits in the path strategy.
Curved surfaces
Prepare surface-following paths where the part and printing setup allow them.
Regional strategies
Assign different path directions and deposition sequences to selected regions.
Process integration
Adapt motion and supported process commands to the selected fiber-placement system.
What the workflow needs
- Geometry
- Part model and the regions that need reinforcement.
- Design inputs
- Load cases or orientation data, material and placement limits.
- Review
- Check fiber routes, interruptions and transitions; test mechanical performance on the chosen process.
- Flexam role
- Slicer for path generation; Engineering Services for custom fiber strategies and machine integration.
Planning a continuous-fiber workflow?
Tell us about your part, reinforcement strategy and printing system.