Open Vector Format Reduces Manufacturing Data Volume for LBPF

Scientists from the Laser Technology and Digital Additive Production (DAP) at RWTH Aachen University working in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (ILT) have developed an open vector format (OVF) to streamline data volumes while simultaneously increasing data depth of 2D manufacturing data for laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) in additive manufacturing. This open vector format is said to significantly reduce data volume and efficiently transport component metadata to the production plant.

Researchers say that efficient, reliable data generation and processing is a prerequisite for a productive additive manufacturing process. When it comes to LPBF, the manufactured component is planned as a 3D model via computer-aided design (CAD) software and placed in the virtual build space of the manufacturing plant. Next, this model is converted into a collection of 2D layer data of the component (slicing) which serves as input on the plant side for those layers that are melted one by one in the powder bed.

It is said that a standard format for the output data of this process doesn’t exist yet. Instead, numerous formats — which are either proprietary or were developed for other production processes — are used. Accordingly, those do not contain all the relevant information for production using LPBF.

According to researchers, the technical basis for OVF is the Protocol Buffers (Protobuf) serialization technology, which handles the transfer of information from complex structured data objects into a byte stream. (For example, storing information in a file or sending data via networks.) Using the Protobuf code generator infrastructure is said to provide broad compatibility and support for several dozen programming languages and platforms. Protobuf is also said to enable high-performance, compact binary storage of all data, as well as flexible forward and backward compatibility. In addition, it is possible to efficiently transport LPBF process-relevant metadata (such as the manufacturing parameters, laser power and scanning speed) along the process chain.

The definition of the technology-specific data structures is done in a low-threshold way by open-source publication via the OVF Github repository, researchers says. This is said to facilitate access for both industry and research. The structures are optimized for broad compatibility and, at the same time, are flexibly extendable to be able to map the latest digital developments in AM.

It is said OVF can be used to address the versatile requirements for an ideal format for processing 2D layer output data in the LPBF process. In addition, the format can also be used for other scanner-based laser processing applications, such as laser microstructuring and polishing.