Flexible Automation and Intelligent Manufacturing, 1997:
Proceedings of the Seventh International FAIM Conference

ISBN Print: 978-1-56700-089-4

ISBN Online: 978-1-56700-442-7

A GENETIC ALGORITHM FOR OPTIMAL OBJECT PACKING IN A SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING RAPID PROTOTYPING MACHINE

DOI: 10.1615/FAIM1997.710
pages 751-759

Résumé

In this paper we describe a unique three-dimensional bin packing problem with non-convex objects having cavities and holes. Part packing takes place in an environment where parts float as they would in a weightless environment. The application domain is the selective laser sintering rapid prototyping technique. A genetic algorithm is used as a search method to find a good part-packing solution. The fitness evaluation for the genetic algorithm is based on the actual part geometry as described in the Stereolithography (STL) file. Part-intersection detection utilizes several methods common in computational geometry. Initial results are promising, showing that the genetic algorithm is able to find a good solution for such a difficult packing problem.