SOLID FREEFORM FABRICATION USING A PLURALITY OF MODELING MATERIALS

• US 20130073068A1
• Filed: 11/15/2012
• Published: 03/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stratasys Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Objet Ltd. (Stratasys Incorporated)
• Inventors: NAPADENSKY, Eduardo
• Granted Patent: US 9,031,680 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/98
• 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 64/20 Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/268 using laser beams; using electron beams [EB]
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/393 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/40 Structures for supporting 3D objects during manufacture and intended to be sacrificed after completion thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 67/202 comprising elimination of a solid or a liquid ingredient
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/0058 Liquid or visquous
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/24 crosslinked or vulcanised
• 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 50/02 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/00 Three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24802 Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond [e.g., artwork, printing, retouched photograph, etc.]

Abstract

A system and methods for solid freeform fabrication of an object is disclosed. The system comprises a solid freeform fabrication apparatus having a plurality of dispensing heads, a building material supply apparatus configured to supply a plurality of building materials to the fabrication apparatus, and a control unit configured for controlling the fabrication apparatus and the supply apparatus based on an operation mode selected from a plurality of predetermined operation modes.

Claims

1. A method of solid freeform fabrication of an object, the object having a plurality of regions, the method comprising:

(a) inputting data pertaining to shapes of the object and each of the plurality of regions;

(b) for at least one region;

(i) defining a plurality of sub-regions within said region and attributing a property to each sub-region;

(ii) for each sub-region, selecting a modeling material and/or a modeling material combination according to said attributed property of said sub-region, thereby selecting a plurality of modeling materials or modeling material combinations; and

(c) dispensing said modeling materials or modeling material combinations in a layerwise manner according said input data and said attributed properties so as to form the three-dimensional object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the property is selected from the group consisting of hardness, solidity, elasticity, flexibility, color, translucency, electrical and/or magnetic behavior.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said modeling material combination comprises at least two different modeling materials selected for occupying respective different locations with said sub-region.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said modeling material combination is homogenous.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said modeling material combination is non-homogenous.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of sub-regions within said region comprise a bulk sub-region at least partially surrounded by a skin sub-region, wherein said bulk region and said skin region are formed of different modeling materials or modeling material combinations.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said bulk region and said skin region have different elasticity.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein a modeling material or modeling material combination dispensed for said skin region is less rigid than modeling material or modeling material combination dispensed for said bulk region.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein a modeling material or modeling material combination dispensed for said bulk region is less rigid than modeling material or modeling material combination dispensed for said skin region.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein bulk region is fully surrounded by said skin region.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising forming at least one buffer layer interposed between said bulk region and said skin region, using a modeling material or modeling material combination which is different to modeling materials or modeling material combinations forming said bulk region and said skin region.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said at least one buffer layer has a higher elasticity than said bulk region and said skin region.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein a width of said skin region is from about 50 microns to about 1000 microns.

25. The system of claim 11, wherein said at least one buffer layer has a higher elasticity than said bulk region and said skin region.

14. A system for solid freeform fabrication of an object having a plurality of regions, comprising:

a solid freeform fabrication apparatus having a plurality of dispensing heads;

a building material supply apparatus configured to supply a plurality of building materials to said fabrication apparatus; and

a control unit configured to receive data pertaining to shapes of the object and each of the plurality of regions, to define within at least one said region a plurality of sub-regions each being attributed at least one property, to select, for each sub-region, a modeling material and/or a modeling material combination according to an attributed property of said sub-region, and to control said fabrication apparatus and said building material supply apparatus to dispense modeling materials or modeling material combinations in a layerwise manner according said received data and said attributed properties.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one attributed property is selected from the group consisting of hardness, solidity, elasticity, flexibility, color, translucency, electrical and/or magnetic behavior.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein said modeling material combination comprises at least two different modeling materials selected for occupying respective different locations with said sub-region.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein said modeling material combination is homogenous.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein said modeling material combination is non-homogenous.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein said plurality of sub-regions within said region comprise a bulk sub-region at least partially surrounded by a skin sub-region, wherein said bulk region and said skin region are formed of different modeling materials or modeling material combinations.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said bulk region and said skin region have different elasticity.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein a modeling material or modeling material combination dispensed for said skin region is less rigid than modeling material or modeling material combination dispensed for said bulk region.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein a modeling material or modeling material combination dispensed for said bulk region is less rigid than modeling material or modeling material combination dispensed for said skin region.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein bulk region is fully surrounded by said skin region.

24. The system of claim 14, wherein said controller is configured to said fabrication apparatus and said building material supply apparatus to form at least one buffer layer interposed between said bulk region and said skin region, using a modeling material or modeling material combination which is different to a modeling material or modeling material combination forming said bulk region.

26. The system of claim 14, wherein a width of said skin region is from about 50 microns to about 1000 microns.

27. A computer software product, comprising:

a computer-readable medium in which program instructions are stored, which instructions, when read by a computer, cause the computer to receive data pertaining to shapes of an object and each of a plurality of regions thereof, to define within at least one of said regions a plurality of sub-regions each being attributed at least one property, to select, for each sub-region, a modeling material and/or a modeling material combination according to an attributed property of said sub-region, and to output said modeling material and/or a modeling material combination to a control unit of a solid freeform fabrication system.