Skillful three-dimensional printing

• US 10,071,422 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2016
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Velo3D, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Velo3D, Inc.
• Inventors: Buller, Benyamin, Milshtein, Erel, Brezoczky, Thomas Blasius, Murphree, Zachary Ryan, Christiansen, Daniel, Lappen, Alan Rick
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhu, Weiping
• Application Number:
  US15/374,318
• Publication Number:
  US 20170165751A1
• Time in Patent Office: 641 Days
• Field of Search: 419 53
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/28 Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM]
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/36 of energy beam parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/47 characterised by structural features
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/68 Cleaning or washing
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/73 of powder
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/70 Gas flow means
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 2998/10 Processes characterised by the sequence of their steps
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/04 Automatically aligning, aiming or focusing the laser beam, e.g. using the back-scattered light
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/0869 Devices involving movement of the laser head in at least one axial direction
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/142 for the removal of by-products
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/144 the fluid stream containing particles, e.g. powder
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/1462 Nozzles; Features related to nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/342 Build-up welding
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/702 Auxiliary equipment
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 37/06 for positioning the molten material, e.g. confining it to a desired area
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 1/001 Rapid manufacturing of 3D objects by additive depositing, agglomerating or laminating of material selective deposition modelling of metallic powder B22F10/00; rapid manufacturing of 3D objects in general and in particular of plastics B29C64/00
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 17/0005 Direct recuperation and re-use of scrap material during moulding operation, i.e. feed-back of used material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/153 using layers of powder being selectively joined, e.g. by selective laser sintering or melting
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/171 specially adapted for manufacturing multiple 3D objects
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/188 involving additional operations performed on the added layers, e.g. smoothing, grinding or thickness control surface shaping B29C59/00; after-treatment of articles without altering their shape B29C71/00
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/214 : Doctor blades
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/307 : Handling of material to be used in additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/35 : Cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/357 : Recycling
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/386 : Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/393 : for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/40 : Structures for supporting 3D objects during manufacture and intended to be sacrificed after completion thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/251 : Particles, powder or granules expandable particles B29K2105/046
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 : Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 30/00 : Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 40/00 : Auxiliary operations or equipment, e.g. for material handling
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 40/20 : Post-treatment, e.g. curing, coating or polishing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/02 : for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 70/00 : Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 : Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4099 : Surface or curve machining, making 3D objects, e.g. desktop manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/35134 : 3-D cad-cam
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/49007 : Making, forming 3-D object, model, surface
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 10/25 : Process efficiency
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 : Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

The present disclosure various apparatuses, and systems for 3D printing. The present disclosure provides three-dimensional (3D) printing methods, apparatuses, software and systems for a step and repeat energy irradiation process; controlling material characteristics and/or deformation of the 3D object; reducing deformation in a printed 3D object; and planarizing a material bed.

Claims

1. A method for printing a three-dimensional object, comprising:

(a) providing a material bed comprising a pre-transformed material, wherein the pre-transformed material comprises a solid, a semi-solid, or a liquid material, wherein the material bed comprises an exposed surface;

(b) planarizing the exposed surface by directing an excess of the pre-transformed material from the exposed surface disposed above a plane into an internal compartment of a material remover through a nozzle of the material remover, to form a planarized exposed surface, wherein the nozzle comprises an adjustable volume; and

(c) using an energy beam to transform the pre-transformed material in at least a portion of the planarized exposed surface to a transformed material, wherein the transformed material is at least a portion of the three-dimensional object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the planarizing is in an absence of contact between the material remover and the exposed surface of the material bed.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-transformed material is directed using an electrostatic force, a magnetic force, a gas flow, or any combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the gas flow is generated using vacuum or compressed gas.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjustable volume is an internal volume of the nozzle.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the nozzle comprises at least one adjustable part.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the nozzle comprises a Venturi nozzle.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjustable volume is asymmetric.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-transformed material is formed of at least one member selected from the group consisting of an elemental metal, a metal alloy, a ceramic, and an allotrope of elemental carbon.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-transformed material in at least the portion of the planarized exposed surface is transformed to the transformed material upon fusing individual particles of the material bed.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting the nozzle to regulate a volume into which the pre-transformed material is directed from the material bed.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting the nozzle to regulate a rate at which the pre-transformed material is directed from the material bed into the nozzle.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-transformed material is accumulated in the internal compartment at least in part by separating the pre-transformed material from a gas flow that is generated upon directing the pre-transformed material from the exposed surface through the nozzle of the material remover.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the separating is cyclonically separating.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-transformed material comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of an elemental metal, a metal alloy, a ceramic, an allotrope of elemental carbon, a polymer, and a resin.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-transformed material comprises a particulate material.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting the adjustable volume of the nozzle.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-transformed material is directed through the nozzle and accumulates in the internal compartment of the material remover.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein a vertical cross-sectional area of the internal compartment is greater by at least three times a horizontal cross-sectional area of an opening of the nozzle.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein (b) comprises (i) directing the pre-transformed material from the exposed surface through the nozzle of the material remover along a flow of gas, and (ii) accumulating at least a portion of the pre-transformed material in the internal compartment upon separation of the pre-transformed material from the flow of gas.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the at least the portion of the pre-transformed material accumulates in the internal compartment upon cyclonical separation of the pre-transformed material from the flow of gas.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-transformed material is directed from the exposed surface into the internal compartment using an attractive force that is controlled to regulate a volume from which the pre-transformed material is attracted from the material bed into the nozzle.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the nozzle is an asymmetric nozzle.