Three-dimensional printing apparatus

• US 10,016,940 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2014
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cal-Comp Electronics & Communications Company Limited (Cal-Comp Electronics Public Company Limited), Kinpo Electronics Incorporated (Cal-Comp Electronics Public Company Limited), XYZprinting, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cal-Comp Electronics & Communications Company Limited (Cal-Comp Electronics Public Company Limited), Kinpo Electronics Incorporated (Cal-Comp Electronics Public Company Limited), XYZprinting, Inc.
• Inventors: Liu, Hua, Yeh, Hong-Chuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo, Kenneth M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sivanesan, Sivalingam
• Application Number:
  US14/153,097
• Publication Number:
  US 20150057780A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,639 Days
• Field of Search: 700 98
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/393 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 30/00 Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor

Abstract

A 3-D printing apparatus of the invention includes a process unit, a 3-D display unit, a base and a printing head. The processing unit is configured to read and process a digital 3-D model information. The base has a carrying surface. The 3-D display unit is coupled to and controlled by the processing unit and configured to display a digital 3-D image related to the digital 3-D model on the carrying surface for previewing, wherein the 3-D image is corresponding to a 3-D object related to the digital 3-D model. The printing head is disposed above the base and coupled to the processing unit, wherein the processing unit controls the printing head to dispense a base material formed on the carrying surface layer by layer so as to form the 3-D object according to the digital 3-D model information and following an image contour of the 3-D image.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional printing apparatus, comprising:

a processing unit, configured to read and process a digital three-dimensional model information;

a base, having a carrying surface;

a three-dimensional display unit, coupled to and controlled by the processing unit and configured to display a digital three-dimensional image related to the digital three-dimensional model information on the carrying surface for previewing, wherein the three-dimensional image is corresponding to a three-dimensional object related to the digital three-dimensional model information; and

a printing head, disposed above the base and coupled to the processing unit, wherein the processing unit controls the printing head to dispense a base material on the carrying surface layer by layer along an image contour of the three-dimensional image so as to form the three-dimensional object according to the digital three-dimensional model information, wherein an object contour of the three-dimensional object and the image contour substantially appear to be layer by layer coincided with each other in a space above the carrying surface at where the three-dimensional object is formed.

2. The three-dimensional printing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image contour comprises a plurality of visual indications related to the digital three-dimensional model information.

3. The three-dimensional printing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the visual indications comprise a plurality of printing progress scales.

4. The three-dimensional printing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional image is displayed on a predetermined position of the carrying surface of the base and the predetermined position is preset for the three-dimensional object to be formed by the printing head.

5. The three-dimensional printing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional display unit has a front side and a rear side opposite to the front side, a user is suitable for facing the front side to view the three-dimensional image, and the three-dimensional image is located between the user and the front side.

6. The three-dimensional printing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional display unit has a front side and a rear side opposite to the front side, a user is suitable for facing the front side to view the three-dimensional image, and the three-dimensional display unit is located between the user and the three-dimensional image.

7. The three-dimensional printing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional display unit comprises an image display module and a reflective component, the image display module is configured to provide an image beam, the reflective component is disposed on a transmission path of the image beam, and the image beam forms the three-dimensional image via the reflective component.

8. The three-dimensional printing apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the image display module has a light exiting surface, the image display module emits the image beam via the light exiting surface, and an acute angle is included between the light exiting surface and the reflective component.

9. The three-dimensional printing apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the acute angle is substantially equal to 45°

.

10. The three-dimensional printing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional display unit has a front side and a rear side opposite to the front side, the three-dimensional display unit comprises a display panel, a light source module and a parallax barrier module, the display panel is located between the parallax barrier module and the light source module, and the parallax barrier module is located at the front side and the light source module is located at the rear side.

11. The three-dimensional printing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional display unit has a front side and a rear side opposite to the front side, the three-dimensional display unit comprises a display panel, a light source module and a parallax barrier module, the parallax barrier module is located between the light source module and the display panel, and the display panel is located at the front side and the light source module is located at the rear side.