System, method and apparatus for 3D printing
First Claim
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1. A three-dimensional printer comprising:
- a print head, said print head positioned over an operational area;
a plurality of nozzles attached to said print head, a material extruded therefrom employed to form an object; and
a processor, said processor configured to control the position of said print head over said operational area during the formation of said object, and configured to control the respective nozzles and the flow of said material therethrough,wherein at least two of said nozzles, each independently controlled by and at the command of said processor, extrude material together in the formation of said object,wherein said at least two of said nozzles together extrude material over separate areas of said operational area,wherein the number of said plurality of nozzles on said print head is within the range of about 10-10,000; and
wherein said operational area has substantially rectilinear dimensions, said print head having a length substantially equivalent to one of said substantially rectilinear dimensions, said plurality of nozzles configured on said print head across said one of said substantially rectilinear dimensions, said print head moving across said operational area in one pass for one layer.
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Abstract
The present invention is directed to three-dimensional printing techniques, methodologies, systems and apparatus to facilitate increased print speed. Through the use of multiple nozzles on a print head printing line by line, more material is deposited. By including nozzles sufficient for a line dimensional (or portion) of a page or planar element of an object design, the material deposition for an entire plane or layer is done line by line in one pass of the print head. Likewise, through the inclusion of multiple lasers, beams or energy sources more material can be cured, such as all along a contour line, instead of point by point.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A three-dimensional printer comprising:
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a print head, said print head positioned over an operational area; a plurality of nozzles attached to said print head, a material extruded therefrom employed to form an object; and a processor, said processor configured to control the position of said print head over said operational area during the formation of said object, and configured to control the respective nozzles and the flow of said material therethrough, wherein at least two of said nozzles, each independently controlled by and at the command of said processor, extrude material together in the formation of said object, wherein said at least two of said nozzles together extrude material over separate areas of said operational area, wherein the number of said plurality of nozzles on said print head is within the range of about 10-10,000; and wherein said operational area has substantially rectilinear dimensions, said print head having a length substantially equivalent to one of said substantially rectilinear dimensions, said plurality of nozzles configured on said print head across said one of said substantially rectilinear dimensions, said print head moving across said operational area in one pass for one layer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A print head for a three-dimensional printer comprising:
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a body; a plurality of nozzles attached to said body, a material extruded therefrom employed to form an object; said print head configured, at the command of a processor, to position over an operational area and to extrude material from at least two of said nozzles together to form said object, wherein said processor is configured to control the respective nozzles and the flow of said material therethrough, wherein said at least two of said nozzles extrude material together over separate areas of said operational area, wherein the number of said plurality of nozzles on said body is within the range of about 10-10,000; and wherein said operational area has substantially rectilinear dimensions, said print head having a length substantially equivalent to one of said substantially rectilinear dimensions, said plurality of nozzles configured on said print head across said one of said substantially rectilinear dimensions, said print head moving across said operational area in one pass for one layer. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A three-dimensional printer comprising:
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an energy dispersion head; a plurality of energy dispersion components within said energy dispersion head, respective beams of energy emitted therefrom onto an operational area employed to form an object, wherein material for said object is deposited onto said operational area by at least one nozzle; a processor, said processor configured to control depositing said material onto said operational area, and configured to control the position of said respective beams of energy over said operational area during the formation of said object, wherein at least two of said beams of energy, at the command of said processor, operate together in the formation of said object, wherein said processor controls the respective beams of energy, said processor controlling the position and intensity of each said beam of energy, wherein at least two of said beams of energy, at the command of said processor, operate over separate areas of said operational area in the formation of said object, and wherein the number of said respective beams of energy from said plurality of energy dispersion components over said operational area is within the range of about 10-10,000. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 28)
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27. An energy dispersion head for a three-dimensional printer comprising:
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a body; a plurality of energy dispersion components attached to said body, respective beams of energy emitted therefrom across an operational area and employed to form an object, wherein material for said object is deposited onto said operational area by at least one nozzle; said energy dispersion head configured, at the command of a processor, to emit at least two of said beams of energy together to form said object during a pass over said operational area, wherein said processor is configured to control depositing said material onto said operational area, and configured to control the respective beams of energy and their positioning, said processor configured to control the position and intensity of each said beam of energy, wherein at least two of said beams, at the command of said processor control, operate over separate areas of said operational area during said pass, and wherein the number of said respective beams of energy from said plurality of energy dispersion components over said operational area is within the range of about 10-10,000.
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Specification