Fiber molding screen pore trajectory
In an example in accordance with the present disclosure, a fiber molding screen is described. The fiber molding screen includes a first region and a second region. The fiber molding screen includes a first set of pores formed within the first region. Each pore of the first set of pores has a first pore trajectory angle between a longitudinal axis of the pore and the first region surface. The fiber molding screen also includes a second set of pores formed within the second region. Each pore of the second set of pores has a second pore trajectory angle between a longitudinal axis of the pore and the second region surface. The second pore trajectory angle is different than the first pore trajectory angle.
1 . A method comprising:
for each of a plurality of regions of a fiber molding screen to be used to manufacture a molded fiber product in a shape of the screen by suctioning a slurry of fiber through the screen such that the molded fiber product is formed as the fiber which collects against a surface of the screen via the suctioning:
determining, by a processor, a tilt angle of the surface of the screen in the region relative to a reference surface, where a first region of the screen of the screen has a smaller tilt angle than a second region of the screen;
determining, by the processor, a porosity of the surface of the screen in the region, where a third region of the screen has a greater porosity than a fourth region of the screen; and
calculating, by the processor, a pore trajectory angle for pores within the region relative to the reference surface, based on the tilt angle and the porosity of the region, such that the molded fiber product when manufactured using the screen has a specified thickness that is uniform across all the regions of the screen; and
additively manufacturing the fiber molding screen such that the pores within each region of the screen have the pore trajectory angle calculated for the region.
2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating an additive manufacturing file for the fiber molding screen such that the pores within each region have the pore trajectory angle calculated for the region,
wherein additively manufacturing the fiber molding screen comprises causing an additive manufacturing apparatus to additively manufacture the screen using the additive manufacturing file that has been generated.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein calculating the pore trajectory angle for the pores within each region results in the first region having a reduced trajectory angle compared to the second region due to the tilt angle of the first region being smaller than the tilt angle of the second region.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein calculating the pore trajectory angle for the pores within each region results in the third region having a reduced trajectory angle compared to the fourth region due to the porosity of the third region being greater than the porosity of the fourth region.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first region is the third region and the second region is the fourth region, or the first region is the fourth region and the second region is the third region.
6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising manufacturing the molded fiber product using the fiber molding screen, such that the molded fiber product has the specified thickness that is uniform across all the regions of the screen due to the pores within each region of the screen having the pore trajectory angle calculated for the region.
7 . A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium encoded with instructions that when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform processing comprising:
for each of a plurality of regions of a fiber molding screen to be used to manufacture a molded fiber product in a shape of the screen by suctioning a slurry of fiber through the screen such that the molded fiber product is formed as the fiber which collects against a surface of the screen via the suctioning:
determining a tilt angle of the surface of the screen in the region relative to a reference surface, where a first region of the screen of the screen has a smaller tilt angle than a second region of the screen;
determining a porosity of the surface of the screen in the region, where a third region of the screen has a greater porosity than a fourth region of the screen; and
calculating a pore trajectory angle for pores within the region relative to the reference surface, based on the tilt angle and the porosity of the region, such that the molded fiber product when manufactured using the screen has a specified thickness that is uniform across all the regions of the screen; and
causing the fiber molding screen to be additively manufactured such that the pores within each region of the screen have the pore trajectory angle calculated for the region.
8 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the processing further comprises generating an additive manufacturing file for the fiber molding screen such that the pores within each region have the pore trajectory angle calculated for the region, and
wherein causing the fiber molding screen to be additively manufactured comprises causing an additive manufacturing apparatus to additively manufacture the screen using the additive manufacturing file that has been generated.
9 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein calculating the pore trajectory angle for the pores within each region results in the first region having a reduced trajectory angle compared to the second region due to the tilt angle of the first region being smaller than the tilt angle of the second region.
10 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein calculating the pore trajectory angle for the pores within each region results in the third region having a reduced trajectory angle compared to the fourth region due to the porosity of the third region being greater than the porosity of the fourth region.
11 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the first region is the third region and the second region is the fourth region, or the first region is the fourth region and the second region is the third region.
12 . The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the processing further comprises manufacturing the molded fiber product using the fiber molding screen, such that the molded fiber product has the specified thickness that is uniform across all the regions of the screen due to the pores within each region of the screen having the pore trajectory angle calculated for the region.