SEAM CONCEALMENT FOR THREE-DIMENSIONAL MODELS

• US 20110070394A1
• Filed: 09/23/2009
• Published: 03/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stratasys Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Stratasys Incorporated
• Inventors: Hopkins, Paul E., Holzwarth, Donald J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,349,239 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/80
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2948/92076 Position, e.g. linear or angular
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2948/92409 Die; Nozzle zone
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2948/92428 Calibration, after-treatment, or cooling zone
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2948/92571 Position, e.g. linear or angular
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/09 Articles with cross-sections having partially or fully enclosed cavities, e.g. pipes or channels
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/21 the layers being joined at their surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/92 Measuring, controlling or regulating
• 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 64/171 specially adapted for manufacturing multiple 3D objects
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/393 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2025/00 Use of polymers of vinyl-aromatic compounds or derivatives thereof as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2055/02 ABS polymers, i.e. acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene polymers
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2069/00 Use of PC, i.e. polycarbonates or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2077/00 Use of PA, i.e. polyamides, e.g. polyesteramides or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2079/085 Thermoplastic polyimides, e.g. polyesterimides, PEI, i.e. polyetherimides, or polyamideimides; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2081/06 PSU, i.e. polysulfones; PES, i.e. polyethersulfones or derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/00 Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/02 : for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4099 : Surface or curve machining, making 3D objects, e.g. desktop manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24777 : Edge feature
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24802 : Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond [e.g., artwork, printing, retouched photograph, etc.]

Abstract

A three-dimensional model built with an extrusion-based digital manufacturing system, and having a perimeter based on a contour tool path that defines an interior region of a layer of the three-dimensional model, where at least one of a start point and a stop point of the contour tool path is located within the interior region of the layer.

Claims

1. A method for building a three-dimensional model with an extrusion-based digital manufacturing system, the method comprising generating a contour tool path that defines an interior region of a layer of the three-dimensional model, wherein the contour tool path comprises a start point and a stop point, and wherein at least one of the start point and the stop point is located within the interior region of the layer.

2. The method of claim 1, and further comprising adjusting the at least one of the start point and the stop point from a first coordinate location to the location within the interior region of the layer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the location of the at least one of the start point and the stop point is substantially orthogonal to a direction of the contour tool path at a perimeter of the layer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the location of the at least one of the start point and the stop point is offset from a centerline of a layer perimeter by a distance ranging from greater than about 50% of a road width used to generate the contour tool path to about 200% of the road width.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the start point and the stop point are each located within the interior region of the layer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the locations of the start point and the stop point define an arrangement selected from the group consisting of an open-square arrangement, a closed-square arrangement, an overlapped closed-square arrangement, an open-triangle arrangement, a closed-triangle arrangement, a converging-point arrangement, an overlapped-cross arrangement, a crimped-square arrangement, and combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the contour tool path between the start point and the stop point further defines a raster path that at least partially fills the interior region.

8. The method of claim 7, and further comprising positioning the start point and stop to substantially maximize the amount of the interior region that is filled with the raster path.

9. The method of claim 1, the contour tool path comprises at least one step-over arrangement between the start point and the stop point.

10. A method for building a three-dimensional model with an extrusion-based digital manufacturing system, the method comprising:

receiving data comprising tool paths for building a plurality of layers of the three-dimensional model; and

extruding a material in a pattern based on the tool paths to form a perimeter of the extruded material for one of the layers of the three-dimensional model, the perimeter comprising a start point and a stop point, and defining an interior region of the layer, wherein at least one of the start point and the stop point is located within the interior region of the layer.

11. The method of claim 10, and further comprising:

generating a contour tool path based on a digital representation of the three-dimensional model, the contour tool path defining an interior region of a layer of the digital representation; and

adjusting at least one of a start point of the contour tool path and a stop point of the contour tool path to a location within the interior region to provide a modified contour tool path, wherein the tool paths of the received data comprise the modified contour tool path.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the location of the at least one of the start point and the stop point is offset from the formed perimeter by a distance greater than about 50% of a road width of the extruded material.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the start point and the stop point are each located within the interior region of the layer.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the locations of the start point and the stop point define an arrangement selected from the group consisting of an open-square arrangement, a closed-square arrangement, an overlapped closed-square arrangement, an open-triangle arrangement, a closed-triangle arrangement, a converging-point arrangement, an overlapped-cross arrangement, and combinations thereof.

15. A three-dimension model built with an extrusion-based digital manufacturing system, the three-dimension model comprising a plurality of layers of an extruded material, wherein at least one of the layers comprises:

a perimeter of the extruded material, the perimeter comprising a start point and a stop point; and

an interior region of the layer defined by the perimeter, wherein at least one of the start point and the stop point is located within the interior region of the layer.

16. The three-dimensional model of claim 15, wherein the location of the at least one of the start point and the stop point is offset from a centerline of the perimeter of the layer by a distance that is greater than about 50% of a road width of the perimeter.

17. The three-dimensional model of claim 16, wherein the distance ranges from greater than about 50% of the road width to about 200% of the road width.

18. The three-dimensional model of claim 15, wherein the start point and the stop point are each located within the interior region of the layer.

19. The three-dimensional model of claim 15, wherein the locations of the start point and the stop point define an arrangement selected from the group consisting of an open-square arrangement, a closed-square arrangement, an overlapped closed-square arrangement, an open-triangle arrangement, a closed-triangle arrangement, a converging-point arrangement, an overlapped-cross arrangement, and combinations thereof.

20. The three-dimensional model of claim 15, wherein the perimeter comprises at least one step-over arrangement between the start point and the stop point.