Method for detecting characteristic of forming material and three-dimensional printing apparatus

• US 10,144,208 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2014
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2014
• 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: Ding, Ming-Hsiung
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Christina A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Liu, Xue H
• Application Number:
  US14/454,735
• Publication Number:
  US 20150321421A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,579 Days
• Field of Search: 264401
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/129 characterised by the energy source therefor, e.g. by global irradiation combined with a mask
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/135 the energy source being concentrated, e.g. scanning lasers or focused light sources
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/393 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/0058 Liquid or visquous
• 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 50/02 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2021/551 Retroreflectance
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/55 Specular reflectivity

Abstract

A method for detecting a characteristic of a forming material and a three-dimensional printing apparatus are provided. The three-dimensional printing apparatus includes a tank filled with a liquid forming material, and the method includes the following. The tank is controlled to swing to cause a wave motion on a liquid surface of the liquid forming material. The wave motion of the liquid forming material is detected to obtain detection waveform information. The detection waveform information and sample waveform information are compared with each other to obtain a characteristic comparison result. A predefined operation is executed according to the characteristic comparison result.

Claims

1. A detecting method for detecting a characteristic of a forming material, the detecting method being adapted for a three-dimensional printing apparatus that comprises a control unit, a detection unit and a tank filled with a liquid forming material and a light source disposed at one side of the tank to irradiate the liquid forming material, and the detecting method comprising:

controlling, by the control unit, the tank of the three-dimensional printing apparatus to swing to generate a wave motion on a liquid surface of the liquid forming material;

detecting, by the detection unit, the wave motion of the liquid forming material to obtain detection waveform information;

comparing, by the control unit, the detection waveform information with sample waveform information to obtain a characteristic comparison result in association with the liquid forming material; and

executing a predefined operation according to the characteristic comparison result, wherein the predetermined operation comprises adjusting at least one control parameter, and the three-dimensional printing apparatus prints a three-dimensional object according to the at least one control parameter.

2. The detecting method according to claim 1, wherein the predefined operation further comprises issuing an alarm and stopping printing a three-dimensional object.

3. The detecting method according to claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional printing apparatus further comprises a forming platform, wherein the light source irradiates and cures the liquid forming material between the forming platform and a bottom of the tank, and the step of controlling the tank to swing to generate the wave motion on the liquid surface of the liquid forming material comprises:

controlling the tank to move to separate the liquid forming material that has been cured from the bottom of the tank and to cause the tank to swing.

4. The detecting method according to claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional printing apparatus further comprises a detection unit disposed at a side of the tank, wherein the detection unit comprises a signal transmitter and a signal sensor, and the step of detecting the wave motion of the liquid forming material to obtain the detection waveform information comprises:

controlling the signal transmitter to transmit an output signal; and

sensing a receiving signal in association with the output signal through the signal sensor and obtaining the detection waveform information according to intensity of the receiving signal, wherein the receiving signal is the output signal or a reflected signal of the output signal.

5. The detecting method according to claim 4, wherein the detection unit further comprises a floating module adapted to float on the liquid surface of the liquid forming material and swing with the wave motion of the liquid forming material, wherein the signal transmitter transmits the output signal toward the floating module and the intensity of the receiving signal changes with an amplitude of the swing.

6. The detecting method according to claim 1, wherein, before the step of comparing the detection waveform information with the sample waveform information to obtain the characteristic comparison result in association with the liquid forming material, the detecting method further comprises:

selecting a sample forming material according to a predefined setting; and

reading the sample waveform information of the sample forming material from a database.

7. The detecting method according to claim 1, wherein the step of comparing the detection waveform information with the sample waveform information to obtain the characteristic comparison result in association with the liquid forming material comprises:

comparing the detection waveform information with the sample waveform information according to a frequency parameter, an amplitude parameter, or an endpoint number of the detection waveform information to obtain a frequency comparison result, an amplitude comparison result, or an endpoint comparison result of the characteristic comparison result.

8. The detecting method according to claim 1, wherein, after the step of comparing the detection waveform information with the sample waveform information to obtain the characteristic comparison result in association with the liquid forming material, the detecting method further comprises:

determining whether the detection waveform information and the sample waveform information conform to a similarity condition according to the characteristic comparison result.

9. The detecting method according to claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional printing apparatus is a SL (stereolithography) three-dimensional printing apparatus.