Three-dimensional printing and three-dimensional printers

• US 10,252,336 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2017
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Velo3D, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Velo3D, Inc.
• Inventors: Buller, Benyamin, Murphree, Zachary Ryan, Romano, Richard Joseph, Brezoczky, Thomas Blasius, Lappen, Alan Rick
• Primary Examiner(s): Tucker, Philip C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith, Jr., Jimmy R
• Application Number:
  US15/634,267
• Publication Number:
  US 20180001556A1
• Time in Patent Office: 651 Days
• Field of Search: 425 73, 425174, 4251744
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/25 Direct deposition of metal particles, e.g. direct metal deposition [DMD] or laser engineered net shaping [LENS]
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/28 Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM]
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/32 of the atmosphere, e.g. composition or pressure in a building chamber
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/366 Scanning parameters, e.g. hatch distance or scanning strategy
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/60 Treatment of workpieces or articles after build-up
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/73 of powder
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/222 for motion along a direction orthogonal to the plane of a layer
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/41 characterised by the type, e.g. laser or electron beam
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/49 Scanners
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/70 Gas flow means
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/82 Combination of additive manufacturing apparatus or devices with other processing apparatus or devices
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/88 Handling of additively manufactured products, e.g. by robots
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/90 Means for process control, e.g. cameras or sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 2201/10 Inert gases
• 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: B28B 17/0081 Process control
• 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 64/188 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 64/20 Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/25 Housings, e.g. machine housings
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/255 : Enclosures for the building material, e.g. powder containers
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/364 : Conditioning of environment
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/371 : using an environment other than air, e.g. inert gas
• 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: 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 40/10 : Pre-treatment
• 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: Y02P 10/25 : Process efficiency

Abstract

The present disclosure provides three-dimensional (3D) printing processes, apparatuses, software, and systems for the production of at least one desired 3D object. The 3D printer system (e.g., comprising a processing chamber, build module, or an unpacking station) described herein may retain a desired (e.g., inert) atmosphere around the material bed and/or 3D object at multiple 3D printing stages. The 3D printer described herein comprises one or more build modules that may have a controller separate from the controller of the processing chamber. The 3D printer described herein comprises a platform that may be automatically constructed. The invention(s) described herein may allow the 3D printing process to occur for a long time without operator intervention and/or down time.

Claims

1. A system for printing at least one three-dimensional object, comprising:

a processing chamber comprising an internal processing chamber volume that is configured to facilitate printing of the at least one three-dimensional object in a first atmosphere in the internal processing chamber volume;

a build module having an opening and a build module volume that is configured to accommodate the at least one three-dimensional object; and

a shutter operatively coupled to the build module, which shutter is configured to close the opening to seal the build module to maintain a second atmosphere in the build module volume at a positive pressure above an ambient pressure,

which processing chamber and build module are configured to reversibly attach and detach from one another,

wherein upon detachment of the build module and the processing chamber from one another, the shutter is configured to seal the build module to maintain the second atmosphere at the positive pressure above the ambient pressure.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing chamber and the build module are configured to maintain pressure above the ambient pressure.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing chamber and/or the build module are configured to facilitate pressure regulation of the first atmosphere and/or the second atmosphere, respectively, at the positive pressure above the ambient pressure.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the positive pressure above the ambient pressure is at least 0.3 pound per square inch (PSI) above the ambient pressure.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the build module and the processing chamber are reversibly sealable.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein, during a plurality of printing cycles, the first atmosphere and/or the second atmosphere (a) is above the ambient pressure, (b) is inert, (c) is different from an ambient atmosphere, (d) is non-reactive with a pre-transformed material and/or at least a portion of the at least one three-dimensional object, (e) comprises a reactive agent below a threshold value, or (f) any combination thereof.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the reactive agent comprises humidity or an oxidizing agent.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the build module is configured to facilitate cooling of the at least one three-dimensional object.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the build module comprises a vertically translatable platform, wherein the vertically translatable platform is operatively coupled to a translation mechanism comprising an encoder, vertical guide post, vertical screw, horizontal screw, linear motor, bearing, shaft, or bellow.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the build module comprises a vertically translatable platform, wherein the vertically translatable platform is operatively coupled to a translation mechanism comprising an optical encoder, magnetic encoder, air bearing, ball bearing, or a scissor jack.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the shutter is configured to maintain the second atmosphere (i) at a pressure above the ambient pressure, (ii) as an inert atmosphere, (iii) at a reduced concentration of at least one component relative to a concentration of the at least one component in an ambient atmosphere, or (iv) any combination of (i), (ii), and (iii).

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the shutter is configured to maintain the second atmosphere in the build module volume at the positive pressure above the ambient pressure under conditions sufficient to keep the second atmosphere in the build module volume at a reduced concentration of a reactive agent that is reactive with a pre-transformed material and/or the at least one three-dimensional object, which reduced concentration is relative to a concentration of the reactive agent in an ambient atmosphere.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the reactive agent comprises humidity or an oxidizing agent.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising a force source configured to automatically actuate the shutter.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the force source is configured to generate at least a mechanical force, magnetic force, pneumatic force, hydraulic force, electrostatic force, or electric force.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the shutter is configured to be at least in part manually actuated.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the shutter comprises a gas tight seal.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the shutter comprises a contractible seal.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the build module comprises one or more walls, and wherein the shutter is configured to seal the build module by a pressure of at least 1.1 pound per square inch above the ambient pressure, which pressure is sufficient to press the shutter against the one or more walls.

20. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one controller operatively coupled to the build module and/or the processing chamber, which at least one controller is programmed to direct regulation of the first atmosphere and/or the second atmosphere to provide the first atmosphere and/or the second atmosphere at a pressure above the ambient pressure upon detachment of the build module and the processing chamber from one another.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the at least one controller is programmed to direct regulation of the first atmosphere and/or the second atmosphere to provide the second atmosphere at the pressure above the ambient pressure upon detachment of the build module and the processing chamber from one another.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the at least one controller is programmed to direct regulation of the first atmosphere and/or the second atmosphere to provide the first atmosphere at the pressure above the ambient pressure upon detachment of the build module and the processing chamber from one another.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the at least one controller is programmed to direct sensing in the first atmosphere and/or the second atmosphere of:

(I) a pressure, (II) a reactive agent, and/or (III) a temperature, wherein sensing in the first atmosphere and/or the second atmosphere utilizes at least one sensor, wherein the at least one controller is operatively coupled to the at least one sensor.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the reactive agent comprises humidity or an oxidizing agent.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein the at least one controller is programmed to passively and/or actively regulate:

(1) the first atmosphere to provide the first atmosphere at the pressure, and/or (2) the second atmosphere to provide the second atmosphere at the pressure.

26. The system of claim 20, wherein the at least one controller is programmed to direct:

sealing of the build module and/or the processing chamber to provide the first atmosphere and/or the second atmosphere at the pressure above the ambient pressure.

27. The system of claim 20, wherein the at least one controller is operatively coupled to at least one source of gas, and wherein the at least one controller is programmed to direct the at least one source of gas to provide the first atmosphere and/or the second atmosphere at the pressure above the ambient pressure.

28. The system of claim 20, wherein the at least one controller is programmed to direct sealing of the build module and/or the processing chamber to provide the first atmosphere and/or the second atmosphere at the pressure above the ambient pressure upon detachment of the build module and the processing chamber from one another.

29. The system of claim 20, wherein prior to closure of the opening by the shutter operatively coupled to the build module, the at least one controller is programmed to direct regulation of the first atmosphere and/or the second atmosphere under conditions sufficient to provide the second atmosphere at the pressure for a period of at least 0.5 day after the opening is closed by the shutter.

30. The system of claim 20, wherein the at least one controller is programmed to direct regulation of the first atmosphere and/or the second atmosphere under conditions sufficient to provide the second atmosphere at the pressure with a flow rate of water into the second atmosphere of at most 10 micrograms per day when the build module and the processing chamber are detached from one another.

31. The system of claim 20, wherein after closure of the opening by the shutter operatively coupled to the build module, the at least one controller is programmed to direct regulation of the second atmosphere under conditions sufficient to provide the second atmosphere at the pressure for a period of at least 0.5 day after the opening is closed by the shutter.