PREPARATION OF BUILDING MATERIAL FOR SOLID FREEFORM FABRICATION

• US 20100140852A1
• Filed: 12/04/2008
• Published: 06/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Objet Ltd. (Stratasys Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Objet Geometries
• Inventors: Kritchman, Eliahu M., Menchik, Guy, Napadensky, Eduardo
• Application Number:
  US12/327,857
• Publication Number:
  US 20100140852A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 264/494
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 35/08 by wave energy or particle radiation B29C64/00, B29C71/04 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/16 Articles comprising two or more components, e.g. co-extruded layers
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/17 the components having different colours
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/21 the layers being joined at their surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 49/78 Measuring, controlling or regulating
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/112 using individual droplets, e.g. from jetting heads
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/314 Preparation
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/343 Metering
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/386 Data acquisition or data processing for 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
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 70/00 Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 70/10 Composites of different types of material, e.g. mixtures of ceramics and polymers or mixtures of metals and biomaterials

Abstract

A method suitable for solid freeform fabrication is disclosed. The method comprises mixing respective amounts of a plurality of materials such as to provide a building material characterized by at least one attribute, and using the building material for fabricating a three-dimensional object.

Claims

1. A method of solid free form fabrication of an object, comprising:

(a) mixing respective amounts of a plurality of materials such as to provide a building material characterized by at least one predetermined attribute of combination; and

(b) using said building material for fabricating a three-dimensional object;

said steps (a) and (b) being performed in the same facility.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step (b) is performed less than 24 hours after said step (a).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said steps (a) and (b) are performed by the same individual or group of individuals.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said materials comprise a base material and at least one additive material being able to produce a predetermined attribute when mixed with said base material.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising employing at least one procedure selected from the group consisting of polymerization, UV curing, thermal curing, UV post-curing and thermal post-curing.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said building material is a UV curable composition.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said building material at least partially solidifies upon exposure to radiation selected from the group comprising electromagnetic radiation and electron beam radiation.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein one of said plurality of materials comprises meth/acrylic functional groups and another one of said plurality of materials comprises mercaptopriopionate functional groups.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein one of said plurality of materials comprises a component containing hydroxyl functional groups and another one of said plurality of materials comprises a component containing an isocyanate functional group.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said building material has a shelf life which is shorter than 200 days.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said building material has a shelf life which is shorter than the shelf life of each of said plurality of materials before mixing.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said using said building material for fabricating said three-dimensional object comprises loading said building material to a solid freeform fabrication apparatus having a user interface and utilizing said user interface for feeding information on said respective amounts and/or said at least one predetermined attribute of combination.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising calculating printing parameters according to said respective amounts and feeding information on said printing parameters to said user interface.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said mixing comprises operating a preparation apparatus which comprises:

an input unit, for inputting said at least one attribute;

a control unit, configured to transmit data pertaining to said amounts, said control unit being supplemented with an algorithm for determining said amounts;

a supply unit, operatively associated with reservoirs of said plurality of materials and being controllable by said control unit to supply a respective amount of each material according to said data; and

a container, configured for receiving said plurality of materials.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said preparation apparatus comprises a mixer, configured for receiving said plurality of materials and for mixing said materials.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said mixing comprises adding an additive material to a container containing a base material, followed by shaking the container.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said adding said additive comprises using a syringe to inject said additive into said container.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein said container is loaded into a solid freeform fabrication apparatus.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said container comprises a computer readable and/or writeable medium mounted on said container and being capable of storing respective amounts and/or at least one attribute of the materials it contains, and said solid freeform apparatus comprises a reading and/or writing functionality configured to read and/or write data from said computer readable medium.

20. Apparatus for preparing a building material for solid freeform fabrication, the apparatus comprising:

an input unit, for inputting at least one attribute of the building material;

a control unit, configured to transmit data pertaining to respective amounts of a plurality of different materials according to said at least one attribute, said control unit being supplemented with an algorithm for determining said amounts;

a supply unit, operatively associated with reservoirs of said plurality of materials and being controllable by said control unit to supply a respective amount of materials according to said data; and

a container, configured for receiving said plurality of materials.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said materials comprise a base modeling material and a plurality of additive materials, each additive being able to produce at least one attribute when mixed with said base modeling material.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising a mixer, configured for receiving said materials and for mixing said materials thereby to provide a building material characterized by said at least one attribute.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein said mixer is external to said apparatus and is configured for supplying said container with building material.

24. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising a computer readable and/or writeable medium mounted on said container and being capable of storing said respective amounts and/or said at least one attribute and/or printing parameters of the materials received.

25. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising at least one attribute measuring device, configured for measuring at least one attribute of a material.

26. A system for solid freeform fabrication, comprising a preparation apparatus, for preparing a building material characterized by at least one attribute, and a solid freeform fabrication apparatus, for fabricating a three-dimensional object using said building material, wherein said preparation apparatus is designed and constructed for mixing respective amounts of a plurality of materials according to said at least one attribute, such as to provide said building material.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein said plurality of materials comprises a base modeling material and a plurality of additive materials able to produce a desired attribute in the base modeling material when the materials are mixed.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein said preparation apparatus comprises:

an input unit, for inputting said at least one attribute;

a control unit, configured to transmit data pertaining to said amounts, said control unit being supplemented with an algorithm for determining said amounts;

a supply unit, operatively associated with reservoirs of said plurality of materials and being controllable by said control unit to supply a respective amount of each material according to said data; and

a mixer, configured for receiving said plurality of materials and for mixing said materials thereby to provide said building material.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein said supply unit comprises:

a plurality of conduits, each being in fluid communication with a reservoir of one material, and having a flow control device controllable by said control unit to enable and disable flow of material in said conduit;

a container for receiving materials flowing in said plurality of conduits; and

at least one amount-measuring device, designed and constructed to measure amounts of materials flowing in said plurality of conduits.

30. The system of claim 26, wherein said preparation apparatus is operable to mix said respective amounts of said plurality of materials, generally contemporaneously with said fabricating of said three-dimensional object.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein said preparation apparatus further comprises a computer readable medium mounted on said container and being capable of storing said respective amounts and/or said at least one attribute.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein said solid freeform fabrication apparatus comprises a reading and/or writing functionality configured to read and/or write data from said computer readable medium.