We present a method for fabricating general models with multi-directional 3-D printing systems by printing different model regions along with different directions. The core of our method is a support-effective volume decomposition algorithm that minimizes the area of the regions with large overhangs. A beam-guided searching algorithm with manufacturing constraints determines the optimal volume decomposition, which is represented by a sequence of clipping planes. While current approaches require manually assembling separate components into a final model, our algorithm allows for directly printing the final model in a single pass. It can also be applied to models with loops and handles. A supplementary algorithm generates special supporting structures for models where supporting structures for large overhangs cannot be eliminated. We verify the effectiveness of our method using two hardware systems: a Cartesian-motion-based system and an angular-motion-based system. A variety of 3-D models have been successfully fabricated on these systems.

中文翻译：

---

通用支撑-多向3D打印的有效分解


我们提出了一种利用多向 3D 打印系统通过沿不同方向打印不同模型区域来制造通用模型的方法。我们方法的核心是一种支持有效的体积分解算法，可以最小化具有大悬垂的区域的面积。具有制造约束的光束引导搜索算法确定最佳体积分解，由一系列剪切平面表示。虽然当前的方法需要手动将单独的组件组装成最终模型，但我们的算法允许一次性直接打印最终模型。它也可以应用于带有环和手柄的模型。补充算法为无法消除大悬垂支撑结构的模型生成特殊支撑结构。我们使用两个硬件系统验证了我们方法的有效性：基于笛卡尔运动的系统和基于角运动的系统。在这些系统上已成功制造了各种 3D 模型。