Method for printing of three-dimensional objects

• US 20080121130A1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Published: 05/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stratasys Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Objet Geometries
• Inventors: Kritchman, Eliahu M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,658,976 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 101/485
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2948/92209 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2948/92704 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 37/005 Compensating volume or shape change during moulding, in general
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 41/02 for making articles of definite length, i.e. discrete articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 41/48 Compensating volume change, e.g. retraction
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 41/52 Measuring, controlling or regulating
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/92 Measuring, controlling or regulating
• 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 64/112 using individual droplets, e.g. from jetting heads
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/118 using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM]
• 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: B29C 64/135 the energy source being concentrated, e.g. scanning lasers or focused light sources
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/245 Platforms or substrates support structures intended to be sacrificed after manufacture B29C64/40
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/40 Structures for supporting 3D objects during manufacture and intended to be sacrificed after completion thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2009/00 Layered products
• 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 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: B41M 3/16 : Braille printing typewriters or selective printing mechanisms for Braille printing B41J3/32

Abstract

A method to help control the quality of printed three-dimensional objects is provided. The method may include dispensing building material in consecutive slices using a building material dispensing head which dispenses material in the printing X direction; and combining printing of two or more consecutive slices to provide high resolution printed layer in the non-printing Y direction, according to a high resolution pixel map.

Claims

1. A method of printing three-dimensional objects comprising

dispensing building material in consecutive slices using a building material dispensing head which dispenses material in a printing direction X;

and

combining printing of two or more consecutive slices to provide high resolution printed layer in a non-printing direction Y, according to a high resolution pixel map.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each layer includes a portion of required pixels.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein in a first slice, only part of the pixels in a layer pixel map is printed, and an additional part of the pixels is printed in the second slice.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the content of said pixel map in a slice differs from a former slice according to the height of the slice.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said building material is dispensed in droplets and said resolution is higher than 1/d, where d is the droplet diameter.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the small thickness of a printed layer and the combined printing of consecutive slices provides a high-resolution printed layer.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein odd-numbered pixels are printed in a first slice, and even-number pixels are printed in the consecutive slice.