EXTRUSION-BASED LAYERED DEPOSITION SYSTEMS USING SELECTIVE RADIATION EXPOSURE

• US 20100140849A1
• Filed: 02/15/2008
• Published: 06/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Stratasys Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Stratasys Incorporated
• Inventors: Comb, James W., Priedeman, William R. JR.
• Application Number:
  US12/531,237
• Publication Number:
  US 20100140849A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 264/401
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2035/0827 using UV radiation
• 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 64/118 using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM]

Abstract

A system for building a three-dimensional object based on build data representing the three-dimensional object, the system comprising an extrusion head configured to deposit a radiation-curable material in consecutive layers, where the radiation-curable material of each of the consecutive layers is in a self-supporting state, and a radiation source configured to selectively expose a portion of at least one of the consecutive layers to radiation in accordance with the build data.

Claims

1. A system for building a three-dimensional object based on build data representing the three-dimensional object, the system comprising:

an extrusion head configured to deposit a radiation-curable material in consecutive layers, the deposited radiation-curable material of each of the consecutive layers being in a self-supporting state; and

a radiation source configured to selectively expose a portion of at least one of the consecutive layers to radiation in accordance with the build data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the extrusion head is further configured to heat the radiation-curable material to a flowable state for extrusion.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the extrusion head is a first extrusion head, and the system further comprises at least a second extrusion head, wherein the first extrusion head and the second extrusion head are arranged in a linear array.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the radiation source comprises an exposure head having at least one array of light-emitting diodes.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the radiation source comprises a digital-mirror device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the radiation source emits the radiation with a resolution of about 50 micrometers/dot or less.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the radiation-curable material is soluble in a solvent in an uncured state and is substantially insoluble in the solvent in a cured state.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the radiation-curable material comprises at least one radiation-curable groups selected from the group consisting of epoxy groups, (meth)acrylate groups (acryl and methacryl groups), olefinic carbon-carbon double bonds, allyloxy groups, alpha-methyl styrene groups, (meth)acrylamide groups, cyanate ester groups, vinyl ethers groups, and combinations thereof.

9. A system for building a three-dimensional object with a radiation-curable material based on a CAD model of the three-dimensional object, wherein the CAD model has a plurality of generated sliced layers, the system comprising:

a build chamber configured to operate at a temperature that cools the radiation-curable material to a self-supporting state;

at least one extrusion head configured to deposit the radiation-curable material as at least one layer within the build chamber; and

a radiation source configured to selectively expose a portion of the at least one layer to radiation, wherein the exposed portion corresponds to one of the generated sliced layers.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the radiation source comprises an array of light-emitting diodes.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the radiation source comprises a plurality of arrays of light-emitting diodes.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the radiation source comprises a digital-minor device.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the radiation source emits the radiation with a resolution of about 50 micrometers/dot or less.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the radiation-curable material is soluble in a solvent in an uncured state and is substantially insoluble in the solvent in a cured state.

15. A method for building a three-dimensional object based on build data representing the three-dimensional object, wherein the build data includes a plurality of generated sliced layer, the method comprising:

(a) extruding a radiation-curable material to form a deposited layer;

(b) cooling the extruded radiation-curable material to a self-supporting state;

(c) selectively exposing a portion of the deposited layer to radiation in accordance with a first of the generated sliced layers, thereby forming a cured portion and an uncured portion of the deposited layer;

(d) repeating steps (a)-(c) for the remainder of the generated sliced layers.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising removing the uncured portions of the deposited layers.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein removing the uncured portions of the deposited layers comprises dissolving the uncured portions.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein removing the uncured portions of the deposited layers comprises melting the uncured portions at a temperature that is lower than a melting temperature of the cured portion.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising heating the radiation-curable material to a flowable state for extrusion.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein selectively exposing the portion of the deposited layer to radiation comprises selectively activating at least one of a plurality of light-emitting diodes oriented in a linear array.