Formnext 2026 New software reduces surface defects in additive manufacturing

Fewer quantization artifacts, tailored part properties, and faster simulation: Fraunhofer IGD presents solutions for binder jetting, unit cell design, and fast distortion simulation in metal 3D printing.

At Formnext 2026, the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research IGD will present new software technologies for additive manufacturing. The centerpiece of its exhibit at the joint booth of the Fraunhofer Competence Field Additive Manufacturing is Shape Dithering: a parameter-free, purely geometric method for reducing voxel quantization artifacts in 3D printing.

In voxel-based 3D printing processes, discretizing continuous geometries creates visible staircase artifacts on inclined and curved surfaces. Patented by Fraunhofer IGD, Shape Dithering distributes these quantization errors across the surface in a controlled manner, preventing them from accumulating into low-frequency, clearly visible patterns. The resulting high-frequency surface variations are attenuated by the low-pass filtering characteristics of the printing process. This improves surface quality and geometric fidelity, reducing post-processing requirements or enabling higher printing speeds.

Demonstration: Cast parts produced using binder-jetted moulds

Together with the Fraunhofer Institute for Casting, Composite and Processing Technology IGCV, Fraunhofer IGD will demonstrate the method using a cast aluminum part. The mold, produced by powder bed binder jetting, contains sections with and without Shape Dithering, allowing a direct comparison.

The demonstration part is cast from AlSi7Mg0.3 at 720 °C. The mold is produced using a commercial furan no-bake binder system with a layer thickness of 300 micrometers. The freeform surface was left untreated after casting, making the effect of digital geometry processing directly visible.

“With Shape Dithering, we address the issue not at the hardware level, but in the digital representation of the geometry. Quantization errors are distributed so that the characteristic staircase artifacts are significantly reduced in the resulting part,” says Dr. Philipp Urban, Head of Research and Development 3D Printing at Fraunhofer IGD.

Multifunctional parts based on unit cells

Together with the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM, Fraunhofer IGD will also present software for designing, simulating, and optimizing parts with tailored properties. The approach is based on unit cells: three-dimensional building blocks whose geometry, combination, and spatial distribution determine a part’s mechanical behavior. This allows adaptive and multifunctional properties to be purposefully engineered and optimized during the design stage.

Fast simulation of part distortion in 3D printing with Ristra-AM

Fraunhofer IGD also offers Ristra-AM, a solution for fast distortion simulation in laser-based metal 3D printing. The software implements the inherent strain method on GPUs, accelerating these simulations by one to two orders of magnitude (10 to 100 times) compared with established CPU-based methods. This enables efficient evaluation of options such as part orientations and support structures before printing to minimize distortion.

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