THREE DIMENSIONAL (3D) PRINTER WITH NEAR INSTANTANEOUS OBJECT PRINTING USING A PHOTO-CURING LIQUID

• US 20160107380A1
• Filed: 10/21/2014
• Published: 04/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Reetz, Daniel, Smoot, Lanny S., Hsing, Alexander
• Granted Patent: US 9,656,422 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/124 using layers of liquid which are selectively solidified
• 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

Abstract

An apparatus or three dimensional (3D) printer is provided for generating a 3D object. The apparatus includes a print chamber and a liquid print matrix such as a photo-curing resin positioned in the print chamber. The apparatus includes an optical assembly focusing light into the print chamber in the form of a real image whose light initiates curing processes for a volume of the liquid print matrix to form the 3D object. The light focused into the print chamber has a wavelength within a wavelength curing range for the photo-curing resin. The real image may be formed using an optical assembly reflecting or redirecting and focusing light reflected from outer surfaces of an existing 3D object. The real image may also be provided in the form of a volumetric image displayed by a volumetric display device displaying planes of a 3D digital model or image of a 3D object.

Claims

1. An apparatus for generating a physical three dimensional (3D) object, comprising:

a print chamber with one or more sidewalls enclosing an interior void adapted for containing liquids;

a liquid print matrix positioned in the interior void of the print chamber; and

an optical assembly operating to focus light into the interior void of the print chamber o initiate curing processes for a volume of the liquid print matrix to form a 3D object.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the liquid print matrix comprises a volume of a photo-curing resin.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the photo-curing resin comprises a photopolymer.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the light focused into the print chamber has a wavelength within a wavelength curing range for the photo-curing resin.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the photo-curing resin has a first specific gravity in a liquid form and a second specific gravity when cured and wherein the second specific gravity is in a range of 90 to 110 percent of the first specific gravity, whereby the formed 3D object is supported by adjacent uncured portions of the photo-curing resin in the print chamber.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light focused into the print chamber displays a real image defining at least an outer shell of the 3D object.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the optical assembly comprises refractive lenses or other focusing optics generating the real image.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a light source illuminating outer surfaces of a target 3D object, and wherein the optical assembly comprises a first curved mirror receiving and reflecting light reflected from the outer surfaces of the target 3D object and wherein the optical assembly further comprises a second curved mirror receiving and reflecting the light reflected from the first curved mirror as the light focused into the print chamber.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the optical assembly comprises curved mirror, a light source directing light through the curved mirror, and a rotation mechanism rotating the curved mirror and the light source along a circular path about a target 3D object, wherein the light source illuminates a plurality of vertical strips of outer surfaces of the target 3D object as the light source and the curved mirror are moved along the circular path, and wherein the curved mirror reflects light reflected from the outer surfaces of the target 3D object to provide the light focused into the print chamber.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the real image comprises a volumetric image displayed by a volumetric display device.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the volumetric image is defined a 3D digital model comprising frames used to sequentially display a plurality of real image display planes in an image space coinciding with the interior void of the print chamber.

5. The apparatus of 4, wherein the photo-curing resin is transmissive of light having a wavelength in the wavelength curing range when in liquid form and when in hardened form.

13. A 3D printer, comprising:

a tank containing a volume of a photo-curing liquid;

a light source directing light, having a wavelength that initiates curing of the photo-curing liquid, onto a 3D object; and

optics receiving portions of the light reflected from surfaces of the 3D object and, in response, displaying a real image within the photo-curing liquid.

14. The 3D printer of claim 13, wherein the optics include a first parabolic mirror positioned to focus upon the 3D object and further include a second parabolic mirror receiving the reflected light from the surfaces of the 3D object via reflection from the first parabolic mirror, wherein the second parabolic mirror is configured to focus within the tank to provide display the real image.

15. The 3D printer of claim 13, wherein the optics comprise a curved mirror and light source rotating circumferentially about the 3D object and to direct a plurality of linear scan strips into the tank that in combination provide the real image.

16. The 3D printer of claim 13, wherein the photo-curing liquid comprises a photopolymer with a first specific gravity when liquid and a second specific gravity when cured to a solid that is within 10 percent of the first specific gravity and wherein the photopolymer has a first transmissivity to light when liquid and a second transmissivity that is substantially equal to the first transmissivity to light when cured to a solid.

17. A method for forming a 3D object, comprising:

providing a volume of photo-curing resin;

displaying a real image of a target 3D object for printing within the photo-curing liquid, wherein light used to display the real image has a wavelength in a curing wavelength range for the photo-curing resin; and

continuing the displaying of the real image for a curing time for the photo-curing resin at an intensity of the light used to display the real image.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the curing time is less than 5 minutes.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the real image comprises a volumetric image generated from a digital image file defining a plurality of frames to be displayed on spaced apart real image display planes within the photo-curing resin.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the display of the real image comprises illuminating outer surfaces of the target 3D object with light of the wavelength in the curing wavelength range and focusing reflected portions of the light reflected from the illuminated outer surfaces into the photo-curing resin.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the illuminating of the outer surfaces comprises sequentially directing elongated strips of the light of the wavelength in the curing wavelength range onto adjacent portions of the outer surfaces of the target 3D object and wherein the sequentially directing step is performed a plurality of times during the continuing of the displaying of the real image step, whereby the adjacent portions of the outer surfaces are illuminated the plurality of times.