APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR FORMING THREE-DIMENSIONAL OBJECTS USING A CURVED BUILD PLATFORM
First Claim
1. An apparatus for making a three-dimensional object from a solidifiable material, comprising:
- a solidification energy source;
a source of the solidifiable material;
a build platform movable along a build axis, wherein the build platform has a cross-sectional profile when viewed along a cross-sectional axis direction perpendicular to the build axis, and the cross-sectional profile includes a curved surface.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus and method for making a three-dimensional object from a solidifiable material using a linear solidification device is shown and described. In certain examples, the linear solidification device includes a laser diode that projects light onto a scanning device, such as a rotating polygonal mirror or a linear scanning micromirror, which then deflects the light onto a photohardenable resin. As a result, the linear solidification device scans a line of solidification energy in a direction that is substantially orthogonal to the direction of travel of the laser diode. In other examples, the linear solidification device is a laser device array or light emitting diode array that extends in a direction substantially orthogonal to the direction of travel of the array.
50 Citations
50 Claims
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1. An apparatus for making a three-dimensional object from a solidifiable material, comprising:
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a solidification energy source; a source of the solidifiable material; a build platform movable along a build axis, wherein the build platform has a cross-sectional profile when viewed along a cross-sectional axis direction perpendicular to the build axis, and the cross-sectional profile includes a curved surface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. An apparatus for making a three-dimensional object from a solidifiable material, comprising:
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a solidification energy source that moves along a travel axis; a source of the solidifiable material; a build platform that moves along the travel axis while rotating about an axis of rotation perpendicular to the travel axis during the formation of a single object layer. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. A method of making a layer of a three-dimensional object on a build platform from a solidifiable material, wherein the build platform has a curved surface and a sagittal line lying on the curved surface, the method comprising:
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providing a solidification energy source; moving the solidification energy source along a travel axis; moving the build platform along the travel axis and along a build axis; rotating the build platform about an axis of rotation; and selectively supplying solidification energy from the solidification energy source to the solidifiable material along a scanning axis direction. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
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45. A method of making a three-dimensional object comprising a removable support section and a finished object section from a solidifiable material, wherein the removable support section and the finished object section are at adjacent locations along a build axis, the method comprising:
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forming the removable support section on a curved surface of a build platform, wherein the curved surface defines a sagittal plane parallel to the build axis, the removable support section has a build platform contacting surface and a finished object contacting surface; forming the finished object section such that the finished object section has a base connected to the finished object contacting surface of the removable support section, and the base of the finished object section is planar. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
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Specification