Dynamically configured 3-d object creation system

• US 20040141025A1
• Filed: 01/09/2004
• Published: 07/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3D Systems, Inc. (3D Systems Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia
• Granted Patent: US 7,146,236 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 347/40
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 5/0212 only at particular parts of the articles at particular part of web, band, strip, belt or ribbon B05C5/025
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/10 Formation of a green body
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/20 Cooling means
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/53 Nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/70 Gas flow means
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/112 using individual droplets, e.g. from jetting heads
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/68 by incorporating or moulding on preformed parts, e.g. inserts or layers , e.g. foam blocks mould constructions therefor B29C33/12; joining preformed parts by moulding B29C65/70
• 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 40/00 Auxiliary operations or equipment, e.g. for material handling
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/02 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 70/00 Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/002 Curing or drying the ink on the copy materials, e.g. by heating or irradiating
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0021 using irradiation
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/00214 using UV radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/00216 using infrared [IR] radiation or microwaves
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0022 using convection means, e.g. by using a fan for blowing or sucking air
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0024 using conduction means, e.g. by using a heated platen
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/01 Ink jet
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/393 : Devices for controlling or analysing the entire machine ; Controlling or analysing mechanical parameters involving printing of test patterns
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/4073 : Printing on three-dimensional objects not being in sheet or web form, e.g. spherical or cubic objects B41J3/283, B41J3/286 take precedence; building up a 3D object using individual droplets from jetting heads B29C64/112
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/543 : with multiple inkjet print heads B41J2/17503, B41J2/2103 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/185 : Components encapsulated in the insulating substrate of the printed circuit or incorporated in internal layers of a multilayer circuit semiconductor chips encapsulated by interconnect and support structures H01L23/5389, H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/125 : by ink-jet printing
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/4664 : Adding a circuit layer by thick film methods, e.g. printing techniques or by other techniques for making conductive patterns by using pastes, inks or powders H05K3/4647 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 10/25 : Process efficiency
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 439/901 : Connector hood or shell
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49144 : by metal fusion

Abstract

A three dimensional object creation system that prints objects layer by layer, the system including a plurality of printheads, the system printing at least part of each of multiple layers simultaneously, the system configured to enable at least one first printhead that is initially configured to print at least part of a first layer to be dynamically reconfigured to print at least part of a second layer.

Claims

1. A three dimensional object creation system that prints objects layer by layer, the system including a plurality of printheads, the system printing at least part of each of multiple layers simultaneously,

the system configured to enable at least one first printhead that is initially configured to print at least part of a first layer to be dynamically reconfigured to print at least part of a second layer.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one first printhead is dynamically reconfigured if at least one of the at least one printhead initially configured to print the second layer fails.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein if at least one of the at least one printhead initially configured to print the second layer fails whilst printing said second layer, said at least one first printhead is reconfigured to complete the printing of at least part of said second layer.

4. The system of claim 1 including a fault detection system that automatically detects faults in said system.

5. The system of claim 1 including a fault detection system that automatically detects faults in said system and reconfigures said at least one first printhead in the event of a failure.

7. The system of claim 1 including at least one spare printhead that initially is not configured to print, the system causing said spare printhead to print at least part of a layer in the event that said first printhead is dynamically reconfigured to print at least part of said second layer.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein more than 100 layers are printed simultaneously.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the printheads are fixed product-width inkjet printheads.

10. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the system includes a plurality of printheads.

11. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein each layer is defined by a plurality of voxels arranged in a regular array and wherein the voxels of each layer are printed so as to be offset by half a voxel relative to the voxels of adjacent layers in a first direction, a second direction perpendicular to the first direction or both the first and second directions.

12. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the printheads are configured to enable printing of at least two different materials in at least one layer.

13. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the printheads are configured such that at least one of the layers may be printed with a first set of materials and at least one other of the layers may be printed with a second set of materials, and

wherein the first and second sets are not the same.

14. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the system is configured to enable at least one first printhead that is initially configured to print at least part of a first layer to be dynamically reconfigured to print at least part of a second layer, and

wherein if at least one printhead initially configured to print the second layer fails whilst printing said second layer, said at least one first printhead is dynamically reconfigured to complete the printing of at least part of said second layer.

15. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the system includes semiconductor memory and

wherein data defining at least one layer is stored in the semiconductor memory.

16. A system as claimed in claim 1, the system executes a process, the system including a plurality of subsystems, each of which performs a stage of the process,

each of the subsystems configured to perform one of a first subset of N₁ of the stages, where N is greater than 1 and to change the stage of the subset being performed on receipt of a change instruction;

wherein, in the event that one of the subsystems fails, at least one of the remaining subsystems synchronously changes to performing the respective stage of the failed subsystem without requiring transfer of data relating the respective stage to the said at least one remaining subsystems, and

when a subsystem changes to performing a different stage, the system reconfigures the subsystem to be capable of performing a second subset N₂ of the stages where N_{1 and N2} have the same number of stages.

17. A system as claimed in claim 1 including a least two printheads, wherein a first printhead is actively maintained at a first temperature and a second printhead is actively maintained at a second temperature.

18. A system as claimed in claim 1 including a least two printheads, a first one of the printheads printing a first material and a second one of the printheads printing a second material, the first material being cured by a first method and the second material being cured by a second method and wherein the first and second methods are different.

19. A system as claimed in claim 1 including at least one printhead for printing material to create a printed product, and

an object incorporation device that incorporates inorganic semiconductors into the product being printed whilst the at least one printhead prints the product.

20. A system as claimed in claim 1 including at least one object incorporation device that incorporates non-printed objects into partially completed product, the non-printed objects not being printed by the system.

21. A system as claimed in claim 1 including an object incorporation device that inserts at least one non-printed object into at least one cavity created during the printing process, the object incorporation device incorporating the at least one non-printed object into the at least one cavity during the printing of the respective printed object.

22. A system as claimed in claim 1 including at least one printhead that prints electrical connections to at least one object incorporated in the products.

6. The system of claim 6 wherein each printhead or a group of printheads includes a secondary fault detection system that monitors itself and at least one other printhead.