Apparatus and method for the non-destructive separation of hardened material layers from a flat construction plane

• US 20020153640A1
• Filed: 04/23/2002
• Published: 10/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Envisiontec Incorporated (Desktop Metal, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Envision Technologies GmbH
• Inventors: John, Hendrik
• Granted Patent: US 7,195,472 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 264/401
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/68 Release sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 37/0075 using release sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/124 using layers of liquid which are selectively solidified
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/129 characterised by the energy source therefor, e.g. by global irradiation combined with a mask
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1168 Gripping and pulling work apart during delaminating

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for the separation of a material layer (4) hardened on a flat plane (2) serving as a reference by means of a flexible, elastic separating layer (1) arranged between plane and material layer and designed in the form of a film or a gel-like material, are provided.

Claims

1. Apparatus for the separation of a material layer (4) hardened on a flat plane (2) serving as a reference by means of a flexible, elastic separating layer (1) arranged between plane and material layer and designed in the form of a film, characterized in that the film (1) does not adhere to the plane (2) and in that a gaseous or liquid medium can flow between film and plane.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that supply and removal of the medium are ensured randomly by a certain surface roughness of the plane surface.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that supply and removal of the medium are ensured randomly by microstructuring of the side of the film facing towards the plane.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that between plane and film is formed a flat chamber to which a partial pressure or vacuum can be applied.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that a partial pressure or vacuum is applied to the chamber until the film has completely come away from the hardened layer and relaxed and by applying a partial pressure or vacuum the separation/peeling process is speeded up by forcing elastic deformation of the film and increasing the setting angle a of the film in the edge region outside the contour of the adhering hardened surface until the peeling process begins.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that, by applying a partial pressure or vacuum, lifting/lowering of the carrier plate together with object during the separation process can be reduced to a minimum, namely less than or equal to the following layer thickness.

7. Apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the film is mounted in a frame and in combination with the latter forms a unit and serves as a holding basin for the material.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the holding basin consisting of frame and film forms an exchangeable unit.

9. Apparatus according to claims 1-8, characterized in that the film is used in the form of flexible thin glass.

20. Apparatus according to claims 1, 10 and 16, characterized in that the reference plane is designed as a transparent plate, and the separating layer is also transparent.

21. Method for the separation of a material layer (4) hardened on a flat plane (2) serving as a reference by means of a flexible, elastic separating layer (1) arranged between plane and material layer and designed in the form of a film, in which an apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 20 is used.

10. Apparatus for the separation of a material layer hardened on a flat plane serving as a reference by means of a flexible, elastic separating layer arranged between plane and material layer, characterized in that the elastic separating layer in the form of gel-like elastic material is applied directly to the plane.

11. Apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that adhesion of the gel-like layer to the plane is greater by a multiple than adhesion of the gel-like layer to the hardened material layer.

12. Apparatus according to claims 10 and 11, characterized in that the gel-like separating layer is elastically deformed during the separation process until the process of peeling off the hardened material is set in action and the gel-like separating layer after complete detachment and by relaxation returns to its original state.

13. Apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that the construction plane on the side of the gel-like separating layer is laterally defined by a frame and so a kind of holding basin for the material is formed.

14. Apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that the lateral frame is formed from the same gel-like material as the separating layer.

15. Apparatus according to claims 11-14, characterized in that the holding basin consisting of frame and bottom plate forms with the gel-like separating layer an exchangeable unit.

17. Apparatus according to claim 16, characterized in that the film is mounted in two opposed rollers and can be stretched by opposite rotation of the rollers.

18. Apparatus according to claim 17, characterized in that the rollers are held in a frame and together with the mounted film form a kind of holding basin for the liquid photopolymer.

19. Apparatus according to claim 18, characterized in that the holding basin consisting of frame, rollers and mounted film forms an exchangeable unit.

16. Apparatus for the separation of a material layer hardened on a flat plane serving as a reference by means of a flexible, elastic separating layer arranged between plane and material layer, characterized in that the elastic separating layer is designed in the form of a high-elasticity film and stretched in the reference plane during the separation process.