Use of Standard files for Addive Manufacturing.
Figure 1- Segmented CT SCAN of my back - STL format
It’s a Long story.
Informaon storage and distribuon is something old, started with memory recap and speeches, passed by stone
sculpng, handwring, was highly improved by Gutenberg and now relies on computer files and the “cloud”. In addion
the informaon had been transferred mostly by “Standard Tessellaon Language” –. STL computer files.
Created to take the geometry from CAD to the stereolithography machine it is a simple way to give shape to the
computer informaon by making a huge list of point coordinates.
What is the AMF format?
But nowadays, with the wonder “addive machines”, we need more informaon to work with, to be able to pass a
single, concise and definive informaon we need define a part, not only its geometry. We need to define color,
material, quanes, posion in space, textures, who designed, who belongs, IP info more and more info.
One iniave to have a beer way to transfer this informaon is the defined by ISO/ASTM52915 – 16 Standard
Specificaon for Addive Manufacturing File Format (AMF) Version 1.1 ISO and ASTM have a special joint development
iniave for Addive Manufacturing, they have joined commiee ASTM/F42 and ISO/TC261 to make unique standards
for AM. This rule manages how informaon is transferred, stored and used by the community either industrial or
medical.
The format defines the geometry also by points and triangles, but also permits a new shape of facet called curved where
the edges of the “triangle” are interpolaon curves, this can be a lile tricky, but is a way to define closer to real world
shapes.
