The Toolpath

In computer-aided manufacturing, a toolpath refers to a sequence of movement instructions to an end effector. In extrusion-based 3D printing, the toolpath is the trajectory of the extruder on a robotic arm or gantry.

Toolpath data structure

Ovenbird adopts the classic layer-based toolpath data structure where each Toolpath contains a sequence of planar layers, and each layer contains one or multiple planar curves. (1) The following table compares an Ovenbird Toolpath with a toolpath from a conventional slicing software for fused desposition modelling (FDM) printers. (2)

Example File
1. Introduction → (1) Toolpath and Continuous Toolpath
Ovenbird does not support non-planar layers, variable extrusion width, or branches with different layer counts.

	Conventional toolpath	Ovenbird Toolpath
Curve sources	Parallel slicing	Adaptive parallel/rotary slicing, Custom slicing, Native curves
Layer relations	Parallel	Parallel or non-parallel
Layer thickness	Pre-determined, uniform	Adaptive, uniform or variable

Comparison between toolpath data structures

The IO column explains in detail how curves are organized and accessed.

The Ovenbird framework

The Toolpath is the core of the Ovenbird framework. The following image shows how it incorporates optimization/modification methods and pipelines different data types and purposes.

Single- and Multi-MaterialSingle-Material Only