Smooth 3D Printing Using Multi-Stage Filaments

• US 20150091200A1
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Published: 04/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Mech, Radomir
• Granted Patent: US 9,908,291 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 264/40.7
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/04 Particle-shaped making granules B29B9/00
• 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 64/118 using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM]
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/141 using only solid materials
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/393 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/02 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes

Abstract

This document describes techniques and apparatuses for smooth 3D printing using multi-stage filaments. These techniques are capable of creating smoother surfaces than many current techniques. In some cases, the techniques determine a portion of a surface of a 3D object that includes, or will include, a printing artifact or is otherwise not smooth, and then applies multi-stage filaments to provide a smoothing surface over that portion.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining that a portion of a surface of a three-dimensional (3D) object includes a multi-stage 3D production artifact; and

providing, over the portion of the surface, a smoothing surface having one or more filaments, at least one of the one or more filaments provided over two or more stages of the multi-stage 3D production artifact.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining is performed prior to printing the 3D object, the determining based on a model of the 3D object.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining is based at least in part on a physical characteristic of a filament head intended to apply the one or more filaments of the smoothing surface.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining determines that the multi-stage 3D production artifact includes support-to-support distances over which the one or more filaments are to be provided that are greater than a maximum droop distance of a planned application angle of the one or more filaments and further comprising:

increasing the maximum droop distance of the one or more filaments by increasing a viscosity of a filament material;

providing, prior to providing the smoothing surface, support structures between supports having the support-to-support distances that are greater than the maximum droop distance, the support structures effective to reduce the support-to-support distance to less than or equal to the maximum droop distance;

altering a speed of application of the one or more filaments;

or

altering the planned application angle of the one or more filaments to reduce the support-to-support distance.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein increasing the viscosity of the filament material is performed during printing of the 3D object by altering a temperature of the one or more filaments.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the smoothing surface having the one or more filaments provides one filament, the one filament continuously applied over the portion of the surface.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the smoothing surface having the one or more filaments provides the one or more filaments in parallel and connected at opposing ends.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the smoothing surface having the one or more filaments provides the one or more filaments substantially perpendicular to previously applied filaments of the multi-stage 3D production artifact of the portion of the surface.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to providing the smoothing surface:

providing a first stage of first parallel filaments, the first stage having a first contour, the first parallel filaments having offsets separating the first parallel filaments; and

providing, over the first stage of first parallel filaments, a second stage of second parallel filaments, the second stage having a second contour, the second parallel filaments provided over the offsets effective to place the second parallel filaments between the first contour of the first stage and the second contour of the second stage, the second parallel filaments including one or more intra-contour support structures; and

wherein the smoothing surface is provided over the one or more intra-contour support structures.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to providing the smoothing surface:

providing first non-parallel filaments having a first contour, the first non-parallel filaments separated by progressive offsets, the progressive offsets separating neighboring first non-parallel filaments, the progressive offsets progressing from a larger separation to a smaller separation or vice versa; and

providing, over the progressive offsets of the first non-parallel filaments, second non-parallel filaments;

and wherein the smoothing surface is provided over the second parallel filaments.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to providing the smoothing surface, providing support structures effective to reduce a support-to-support distance to less than or equal to a maximum droop distance of the one or more filaments of the smoothing surface.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the two or more stages of the multi-stage 3D production artifact are non-planar.

13. One or more computer-readable media having instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by one or more computer processors, perform a method comprising:

determining, based on a desired three-dimensional (3D) object intended to be created using 3D printing, a portion of a surface in which support-to-support distances exceed a maximum droop distance of a multi-stage filament intended to be used to create a smoothing surface on the 3D object; and

creating a 3D production model usable to control a filament-providing element to provide;

a prior stage of production, the prior stage for the portion of the surface in which support-to-support distances exceed the maximum droop distance, the prior stage including a support structure having intra-contour support for the smoothing surface, the intra-contour support decreasing the support-to-support distances to less than or equal to the maximum droop distance; and

a later stage of production, the later stage including the smoothing surface applied over the support structure.

14. The media of claim 13, wherein the determining and building are based on a physical characteristic of a filament head intended to be used to apply the multi-stage filament.

15. The media of claim 13, wherein the smoothing surface includes multiple, multi-stage filaments.

16. The media of claim 13, wherein the 3D production model is further usable to control the filament-providing element effective to provide the smoothing surface and retain an intended dimension of the desired 3D object.

17. The media of claim 13, wherein the 3D production module includes use of parallel or non-parallel offset 3D printing in production of the support structure.

18. A controller configured to control a filament-providing element of a three-dimensional (3D) printing device, the controller configured to:

determine, using sensor data, that a physical, three-dimensional (3D) object includes an undesired surface characteristic having a multiple filament-width flaw in each of three dimensions; and

provide, over the undesired surface characteristic, a smoothing surface having one more filaments, at least one of the one or more filaments provided over the multiple filament-width flaw in at least two of the three dimensions.

19. The controller of claim 18, wherein the controller is further capable of causing the filament-providing element to alter a temperature of, or speed of application of, the at least one of the one or more filaments, the alteration effective to alter a flexibility of the at least one of the one or more filaments.

20. The controller of claim 18, wherein the provision of the smoothing surface provides the at least one of the one or more filaments over the multiple-filament-width flaw in the three dimensions.