Updates to Slicer 2 software include better visuals and automation
image: Polymer 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is achieved by extruding heated plastic through a nozzle. The material extruded in this image is glass fiber reinforced PETG, building a tooling jig for object alignment. The Slicer 2 software developed by ORNL provides directions to the printer on how to make specific shapes.
Credit: Amy Burgess/ ORNL, US Dept. of Energy
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory has released a new version of its advanced slicing software, ORNL Slicer 2, which accelerates and simplifies the creation of large 3D printed parts.
Slicer 2 works for all materials used in the additive manufacturing processes of directed energy deposition and material extrusion.
Current slicing software translates a computer-aided design (CAD) model into two-dimensional layers, calculating machine paths and speeds needed to fabricate a part. Slicer 2 improves on this by integrating multiple types of 3D printers and sensors while supporting real-time process optimization with advanced manufacturing systems.
“The latest release of Slicer 2 includes many significant updates, improvements, and bug fixes,” said Alex Roschli, a researcher in ORNL’s System Automation and Monitoring group. “One major change is a new system that helps automate the creation of files that can be easily distributed to our users.”
The updates include improved visualizations for a more accurate rendering of cross-sections for tool-pathing. By better understanding how a tool cuts through the material at different depths, the software enables greater precision in making desired shapes.
The team added the ability to simulate, before beginning a print, the effects of multiple bead widths (the width of the extruded materials). While bead width is largely determined by the diameter of a 3D printer’s nozzle, the slicing software can adjust the width during printing to create more complex forms. Based on the dynamic width created by Slicer 2, a machine implements real-time controls based on calibration values and sensor readings.
The latest update of Slicer 2 will help manufacturers stay competitive by reducing costs, improving part quality, and enabling faster production cycles for complex components — capabilities that are essential for scaling up additive manufacturing while maintaining consistency and reducing waste.
ORNL Slicer 2 is used by aerospace, automotive, and defense organizations for tooling, delivering reliable end-use components and prototyping next-generation designs.
Roschli collaborated on this update with Liam White, Cameron Adkins, Ashley Gannon and Michael Borish of ORNL’s Research Application Development group.
UT-Battelle manages ORNL for DOE’s Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. DOE’s Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://energy.gov/science.