Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
Cuttlefish locally controls the process parameters (e.g. laser power in the SLM process) and material positioning (e.g. material distribution in high-resolution multi-material 3D printing) to optimally reproduce given designs with annotated optical or mechanical properties taking into account machine and material limitations. The driver is modular and can be adapted to various 3D printing technologies such as FDM, Polyjetting, DLP, SLA or SLM by reusing components. The streaming capability allows printing while the calculation is still running.
One of the focal points of the developments is in the field of graphic multi-material 3D printing with the aim of reproducing not only the geometry of an object but also its optical material properties or so-called visual attributes (colour, gloss, translucency). Applications can be found in almost all industries where design prototypes are needed (especially in automotive, film, furniture, etc.), as well as for spare parts that have to be integrated into a visual environment (e.g. cosmetic eye replacement). In these cases the accurate reproduction of given/measured optical material properties is an important, if not decisive criterion for the application.
Cuttlefish makes it possible to print very complex designs, which can consist of many overlapping parts with annotated locally variable properties.
Cuttlefish makes it possible to print very complex designs, which can consist of many overlapping parts with annotated locally variable properties.