Three-dimensional printing

• US 10,639,878 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2017
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Inventors: Bastian, Andreas Linas, Meess, Gregory David
• Primary Examiner(s): Gambetta, Kelly M
• Application Number:
  US15/433,213
• Publication Number:
  US 20180229448A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,175 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/106 using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material
• 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: 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

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for working with three-dimensional object models for printing. One of the methods includes determining a plurality of infill structures in a slice of an object; and determining a path for the tool-head to create the plurality of infill structures including: determining a first portion of the path for deposition of a first infill structure during a first time period; determining a second portion of the path for deposition of one or more second infill structures that are not adjacent to the first infill structure during a second time period; and determining a third portion of the path for deposition of a third infill structure that is adjacent to the first infill structure, wherein the second time period is determined to allow the first infill structure to cool before deposition of the third infill structure.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a three-dimensional model of a solid object for creation by a three-dimensional extrusion printer;

determining a hollow shell for the three-dimensional model that includes a plurality of interior surfaces;

determining, for each of the plurality of interior surfaces, an angle of the respective interior surface;

determining, for each of the interior surfaces that have an angle that satisfies a threshold angle, an infill structure for an interior structure to be located inside a modified object and extending through each layer of the three-dimensional model up to the respective interior surface, wherein the modified object is the same type of object as the solid object with at least one aperture;

skipping, for each of the interior surfaces that have an angle that does not satisfy the threshold angle, generation of any infill structure; and

generating data that represents each of the determined infill structures for use by the three-dimensional extrusion printer with the three-dimensional model to create the modified object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the three-dimensional model of the solid object to be created by the three-dimensional extrusion printer comprises receiving the three-dimensional model of the solid object to be created by a fused filament fabrication printer.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising:

comparing, for each of the plurality of interior surfaces of the modified object, the angle of the respective interior surface with the threshold angle;

determining, for each interior surface in a first subset of the interior surfaces, that the angle of the respective interior surface satisfies the threshold angle; and

determining, for each interior surface in a second subset of the interior surfaces, that the angle of the respective interior surface does not satisfy the threshold angle, the second subset being a different, disjoint subset of the interior surfaces than the first subset, wherein;

determining, for each of the interior surfaces that have an angle that satisfies the threshold angle, the infill structure for the interior structure to be located inside the modified object and extending through each layer of the three-dimensional model up to the respective interior surface comprises determining, for each of the interior surfaces in the first subset, the infill structure for the interior structure to be located inside the modified object and extending through each layer of the three-dimensional model up to the respective interior surface in response to determining that the angle of the respective interior surface satisfies the threshold angle; and

skipping, for each of the interior surfaces that have an angle that does not satisfy the threshold angle, generation of any infill structure comprises skipping, for each of the interior surfaces in the second subset, generation of any infill structure in response to determining that the angle of the respective interior surface does not satisfy the threshold angle.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining a configuration of the three-dimensional extrusion printer;

determining a material that the three-dimensional extrusion printer will use to create the modified object; and

determining the threshold angle using the configuration and a property of the material.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining a material that the three-dimensional extrusion printer will use to create the modified object; and

determining the threshold angle using a property of the material.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

determining a configuration of the three-dimensional extrusion printer; and

determining the threshold angle using the configuration.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising:

generating a plurality of slices of the three-dimensional model that each identify one or more surfaces for the modified object represented by the respective slice in response to generating data that represents each of the determined infill structures for use by the three-dimensional extrusion printer with the three-dimensional model to create the modified object;

generating, for each of the plurality of slices, tool path data that indicates a path for a tool-head included in the three-dimensional extrusion printer to create the one or more surfaces represented by the respective slice; and

providing, for at least one of the plurality of slices, the tool path data to the three-dimensional extrusion printer.

8. A system comprising:

one or more computers; and

one or more storage devices coupled with the one or more computers and on which are stored instructions;

wherein the instructions stored on the one or more storage devices are configured to cause the one or more computers to;

(i) receiving a three-dimensional model of a solid object for creation by a three-dimensional extrusion printer;

iii) determine a hollow shell for the three-dimensional model that includes a plurality of interior surfaces;

(iii) determine, for each of the plurality of interior surfaces, an angle of the respective interior surface;

(iv) determine, for each of the interior surfaces that have an angle that satisfies a threshold angle, an infill structure for an interior structure to be located inside a modified object and extending through each layer of the three-dimensional model up to the respective interior surface, wherein the modified object is the same type of object as the solid object with at least one aperture;

(v) skip, for each of the interior surfaces that have an angle that does not satisfy the threshold angle, generation of any infill structure;

(vi) generate data that represents each of the determined infill structures; and

(vii) provide the data that represents each of the determined infill structures to the three-dimensional extrusion printer for use by the three-dimensional extrusion printer with the three-dimensional model to create the modified object.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the three-dimensional extrusion printer comprises a fused filament fabrication printer.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the instructions stored on the one or more storage devices are configured to cause the one or more computers to:

compare, for each of the plurality of interior surfaces of the modified object, the angle of the respective interior surface with the threshold angle;

determine, for each interior surface in a first subset of the interior surfaces, that the angle of the respective interior surface satisfies the threshold angle; and

determine, for each interior surface in a second subset of the interior surfaces, that the angle of the respective interior surface does not satisfy the threshold angle, the second subset being a different, disjoint subset of the interior surfaces than the first subset;

determine, for each of the interior surfaces in the first subset, the infill structure for the interior structure to be located inside the modified object and extending through each layer of the three-dimensional model up to the respective interior surface in response to determining that the angle of the respective interior surface satisfies the threshold angle; and

skip, for each of the interior surfaces in the second subset, generation of any infill structure in response to determining that the angle of the respective interior surface does not satisfy the threshold angle.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the instructions stored on the one or more storage devices are configured to cause the one or more computers to:

determine a configuration of the three-dimensional extrusion printer;

determine a material that the three-dimensional extrusion printer will use to create the modified object; and

determine the threshold angle using the configuration and a property of the material.