Smoothing technique for STL models in layered manufacturing field

Because the STL file is easy to generate and does not require sophisticated CAD system for support, it has become a standard file format for the layered manufacturing, but there is a trade-off between the accuracy and the file size of the STL file. A max-fit bi-arc curve fitting technique is presented to reconstruct STL slicing data with higher accuracy and to decrease the file size remarkably. Technique experimentations show that the proposed bi-arc curve fitting technique can significantly improve the parts accuracy by smoothing the intersection points for layered manufacturing and it requires less strict adjacency tolerance while compared with the traditional linear and/or circular arc fitting technique.