IP Library Granted Patent US 11,347,201
Granted Patent B2
US 11,347,201 · App. 16/928,499 · Granted May 31, 2022

Methods and apparatus for machine learning predictions of manufacture processes

Inventors: Valerie R. Coffman (Washington, DC); Yuan Chen (Rockville, MD); Luke S. Hendrix (Bethesda, MD); William J. Sankey (College Park, MD); Joshua Ryan Smith (Washington, DC); Daniel Wheeler (Darnestown, MD)
Assignee: XOMETRY, INC.
G05B19/4097G05B19/401G06F30/00G06N5/04G06N20/00G06N20/20G05B2219/35134G05B2219/35499Y02P90/02
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,347,201
App. No.
16/928,499
Granted
May 31, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

The subject technology is related to methods and apparatus for discretization and manufacturability analysis of computer assisted design models. In one embodiment, the subject technology implements a computer-based method for the reception of an electronic file with a digital model representative of a physical object. The computer-based method determines geometric and physical attributes from a discretized version of the digital model, a cloud point version of the digital model, and symbolic functions generated through evolutionary algorithms. A set of predictive machine learning models is utilized to infer predictions related to the manufacture process of the physical object.

Claims (18)

1. A system for predicting aspects of a manufacturing process, comprising:

a user interface tool configured to receive a digital representation of a physical object to be manufactured;

one or more analysis engines configured to generate a set of parameters of the physical object to be manufactured;

a first machine learning engine configured to generate a second set of parameters associated with the physical object to be manufactured from at least one parameter of the first set of parameters;

a second machine learning engine configured to generate at least one set of predictions, the at least one set of predictions being at least partially based on one or more parameters of the second set of parameters, and the at least one set of predictions further being associated with a process to manufacture the physical object;

wherein the user interface tool is further configured to provide one or more predictions from the at least one set of predictions to a user.

2. A system for predictions of manufacturing processes, comprising:

a graphical user interface tool including computerized instructions for receiving at a compute device, an electronic file including a digital model representative of a physical object to be manufactured, and for returning, in near real-time or faster, responsive information associated with manufacturing the physical object, the responsive information including information related at least to a predictive value generated by a predictive engine:

wherein the predictive value generated by the predictive engine is generated by the predictive engine based at least in part upon (a) at least one of a set of parameters associated with the digital model or information derived from the set of parameters, and (b) one or more neural network machine learning models, at least one of the one or more neural network machine learning models being trained using a collection of digital models of a domain of mechanical objects;

wherein the at least one predictive value corresponds to one or more of the following: predicted cost, set-up time, cycle time, a number of Computer Numerical Control (CNC) operations, requirement of a mill machine, requirement of a lathe machine, requirement of a sheet metal process, a type of blank used, or a type of fixture used;

wherein the graphical user interface also receives at least one manufacturing parameter taken from a group consisting of: an identification of a manufacturing machine, an identification of a fabrication material, or an identification of a manufacturing process; and

at least one of the one or more neural network machine learning models is selected from an available set of a plurality of neural network machine learning models based upon the received manufacturing parameter.

3. A system for predictions of manufacturing processes, comprising:

a graphical user interface tool including computerized instructions for receiving, at a compute device, an electronic file including a digital model representative of a physical object to be manufactured, and for returning responsive information associated with manufacturing the physical object, the responsive information including information related at least to a predictive outcome generated by a predictive engine;

wherein the predictive outcome generated by the predictive engine is generated by the predictive engine based at least in part upon (a) at least one of a set of parameters associated with the digital model or information derived from the set of parameters and (b) one or more neural network machine learning models, at least one of the one or more neural network machine learning models, being trained using a collection of digital models of a domain of mechanical objects;

wherein the at least one predictive outcome corresponds to one or more of the following: predicted cost, set-up time, cycle time, a number of Computer Numerical Control (CNC) operations, requirement of a mill machine, requirement of a lathe machine, requirement of a sheet metal process, a type blank used or a type of fixture used;

wherein the graphical user interface also receives an identification of a fabrication parameter; and

the predictive engine predicts a manufacturing feasibility outcome for the physical object using the identified fabrication parameter.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 14, 2020
From: COFFMAN, VALERIE R.; CHEN, YUAN; HENDRIX, LUKE S.; SANKEY, WILLIAM J.; WHEELER, DANIEL; SMITH, JOSHUA RYAN
To: XOMETRY, INC.
Reel/Frame 053204/0406 →
Continuity (5)
Continuation 16786454 · Feb 10, 2020
Continuation 16395940 · Apr 26, 2019
Continuation 16046519 · Jul 26, 2018
Continuation 15340338 · Nov 1, 2016
Related Publication 20200348646A1 · Nov 5, 2020
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