Methods and apparatus for production of three-dimensional objects by stereolithography
First Claim
1. A method for producing a three-dimensional object from an object representation out of a medium capable of selective physical transformation upon exposure to synergistic stimulation, comprising the steps of:
- successively forming horizontal layers of said medium on top of previously-formed layers of said object;
selectively exposing said layers of said medium to said synergistic stimulation in accordance with a building representation, having at least a portion which deviates from a corresponding portion of said object representation by inclusion of a deviation, to form said object substantially layer by layer;
whereupon a portion of said object comprising at least one substantially formed layer of said object is created which deviates according to said deviation from said corresponding portion of said object representation by inclusion of an unexposed area; and
wherein said area is situated near a boundary between a first portion of a first layer of said object which is not supported by a previously-formed layer, and a second portion of said first layer which is supported by a previously-formed layer, and whereupon said area is also situated above said first layer, to reduce distortion in said object.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An improved stereolithography system for generating a three-dimensional object by creating a cross-sectional pattern of the object to be formed at a selected surface of a fluid medium capable of altering its physical state in response to appropriate synergistic stimulation by impinging radiation, particle bombardment or chemical reaction, information defining the object being specially processed to reduce curl, stress, birdnesting and other distortions, the successive adjacent laminae, representing corresponding successive adjacent cross-sections of the object, being automatically formed and integrated together to provide a step-wise laminar buildup of the desired object, whereby a three-dimensional object is formed and drawn from a substantially planar surface of the fluid medium during the forming process.
112 Citations
50 Claims
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1. A method for producing a three-dimensional object from an object representation out of a medium capable of selective physical transformation upon exposure to synergistic stimulation, comprising the steps of:
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successively forming horizontal layers of said medium on top of previously-formed layers of said object; selectively exposing said layers of said medium to said synergistic stimulation in accordance with a building representation, having at least a portion which deviates from a corresponding portion of said object representation by inclusion of a deviation, to form said object substantially layer by layer; whereupon a portion of said object comprising at least one substantially formed layer of said object is created which deviates according to said deviation from said corresponding portion of said object representation by inclusion of an unexposed area; and wherein said area is situated near a boundary between a first portion of a first layer of said object which is not supported by a previously-formed layer, and a second portion of said first layer which is supported by a previously-formed layer, and whereupon said area is also situated above said first layer, to reduce distortion in said object. - View Dependent Claims (2, 4, 5)
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3. A method for producing a three-dimensional object from an object representation out of a medium capable of selective physical transformation upon exposure to synergistic stimulation, comprising:
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selectively exposing said medium to said synergistic stimulation in accordance with a building representation, having at least a portion which deviates from a corresponding portion of said object representation by inclusion of a deviation, whereupon said medium selectively physically transforms substantially layer by layer to form said object; whereupon a portion of said object comprising at least one substantially formed layer of said object is created which deviates according to said deviation from said corresponding portion of said object representation by inclusion of an unexposed area; and whereupon said area is situated within a substantially solid portion of said object to reduce stress in said object.
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6. A method for producing a three-dimensional object from a representation of the object out of a medium capable of selective physical transformation upon exposure to synergistic stimulation, comprising:
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selectively exposing said medium to said synergistic stimulation in accordance with a building representation, having at least a portion which deviates from a corresponding portion of said representation of the object by inclusion of a deviation, whereupon said medium physically transforms substantially layer by layer to form said object; whereupon a border of a layer of said object is created which deviates according to said deviation from said corresponding portion of said representation of the object by inclusion of a border deviation which adheres said border to previously transformed medium. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method for producing a three-dimensional object out of a medium capable of selective physical transformation upon exposure to synergistic stimulation, comprising the steps of:
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forming a building representation of the object which deviates from a corresponding object representation by inclusion of a deviation to reduce distortion in said object, the deviation specifying at least one unexposed area in a substantially formed layer of the object, which at least one area remains unexposed during formation of the layer, the layer having a first portion and a second portion, and the at least one unexposed area also substantially isolating the first portion from the second portion; and selectively exposing said medium to said synergistic stimulation in accordance with said building representation to form said object substantially layer by layer. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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15. A method for producing a three-dimensional object out of a medium capable of selective physical transformation upon exposure to synergistic stimulation, comprising the steps of:
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forming a building representation of the object which deviates from a corresponding object representation by inclusion of a deviation to reduce distortion in said object, the deviation specifying an unexposed area in a substantially formed layer of the object, which area remains unexposed during formation of the layer, and which area is bounded at least in part from below by transformed medium; and selectively exposing said medium to said synergistic stimulation in accordance with said building representation to form said object substantially layer by layer.
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16. A method for producing a three-dimensional object out of a medium capable of selective physical transformation upon exposure to synergistic stimulation, comprising the steps of:
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forming a building representation of the object which deviates from a corresponding object representation, specifying first and second connected surfaces, by inclusion of a deviation to reduce distortion in said object, the deviation specifying an unexposed area in at least one substantially formed layer, which area remains unexposed during formation of the layer, which area bridges said connected surfaces along a path, and which area is bounded only by transformed medium along said path; and selectively exposing said medium to said synergistic stimulation in accordance with said building representation to form said object substantially layer by layer.
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17. A method for producing a three-dimensional object out of a medium capable of selective physical transformation upon exposure to synergistic stimulation, comprising the steps of:
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forming a building representation of the object which deviates from a corresponding object representation by inclusion of a deviation to reduce distortion in said object, the deviation specifying an unexposed area in at least one substantially formed layer, which area remains unexposed during formation of the layer, and which area connects regions of untransformed medium, wherein said regions of untransformed medium are not isolated in the absence of the deviation; and selectively exposing said medium to said synergistic stimulation in accordance with said building representation to form said object substantially layer by layer.
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18. A method for producing a three-dimensional object out of a medium capable of selective physical transformation upon exposure to synergistic stimulation, comprising the steps of:
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forming a building representation of the object which deviates from a corresponding object representation, specifying an unsupported surface, by inclusion of a deviation, the deviation specifying an unexposed area in a substantially formed layer of the object, which area remains unexposed during formation of the layer, and which area is spaced above said unsupported surface by transformed medium; and selectively exposing said medium to said synergistic stimulation in accordance with said building representation to form said object substantially layer by layer.
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19. A method for producing a three-dimensional object out of a medium capable of selective physical transformation upon exposure to synergistic stimulation, comprising the steps of:
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forming a building representation of the object which deviates from a corresponding object representation, specifying an unsupported surface, by inclusion of a deviation to reduce distortion in said object, the deviation specifying an unexposed area in at least one substantially formed layer of the object, which area remains unexposed during formation of the layer, which area begins one layer above said unsupported surface, and which area is spaced from the surface by transformed medium; and selectively exposing said medium to said synergistic stimulation in accordance with said building representation to form said object substantially layer by layer.
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29. An apparatus for producing a three-dimensional object out of a medium capable of selective physical transformation upon exposure to synergistic stimulation, comprising:
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at least one computer programmed to form a building representation of the object which deviates from a corresponding object representation by inclusion of a deviation to reduce distortion in said object, the deviation specifying at least one unexposed area in a substantially formed layer of the object, the at least one unexposed area remaining unexposed during formation of the layer, the layer having a first portion and a second portion, and the at least on unexposed area also substantially isolating the first portion from the second portion; and means coupled to said at least one computer for receiving said building representation, and for selectively exposing said medium to said synergistic stimulation in accordance with said building representation to form said object substantially layer by layer. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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30. An apparatus for producing a three-dimensional object out of a medium capable of selective physical transformation upon exposure to synergistic stimulation, comprising:
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at least one computer programmed to form a building representation of the object which deviates from a corresponding object representation by inclusion of a deviation to reduce distortion in said object, the deviation specifying an unexposed area in a substantially formed layer of the object, which area remains unexposed during formation of the layer, and which area is bounded at least in part from below by transformed medium; and means coupled to said at least one computer for receiving said building representation, and for selectively exposing said medium to said synergistic stimulation in accordance with said building representation to form said object substantially layer by layer. - View Dependent Claims (42)
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31. An apparatus for producing a three-dimensional object out of a medium capable of selective physical transformation upon exposure to synergistic stimulation, comprising:
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at least one computer programmed to form a building representation of the object which deviates from a corresponding object representation, specifying first and second connected surfaces, by inclusion of a deviation to reduce distortion in said object, the deviation specifying an unexposed area in at least one substantially formed layer of the object, which are remains unexposed during formation of the layer, which area bridges said connected surfaces along a path, and which area is bounded only by transformed medium along said path; and means coupled to the at least one computer for receiving said building representation, and for selectively exposing said medium to said synergistic stimulation in accordance with said building representation to form said object substantially layer by layer.
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32. An apparatus for producing a three-dimensional object out of a medium capable of selective physical transformation upon exposure to synergistic stimulation, comprising:
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at least one computer programmed to form a building representation of the object which deviates from a corresponding object representation, by inclusion of a deviation to reduce distortion in said object, the deviation specifying an unexposed area in at least one substantially formed layer of the object, which area remains unexposed during formation of the layer, and which area connects regions of untransformed medium, wherein said regions of untransformed medium are not isolated in the absence of the deviation; and means coupled to the at least one computer for receiving said building representation, and for selectively exposing said medium to said synergistic stimulation in accordance with said building representation to form said object substantially layer by layer.
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33. An apparatus for producing a three-dimensional object out of a medium capable of selective physical transformation upon exposure to synergistic stimulation, comprising:
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at least one computer programmed to form a building representation of the object which deviates from a corresponding object representation, specifying an unsupported object surface, by inclusion of a deviation to reduce distortion in said object, the deviation specifying an unexposed area in a substantially formed layer of the object, which are remains unexposed during formation of the layer, and which area is spaced above said unsupported surface by transformed medium; and means coupled to the at least one computer for receiving said building representation, and for selectively exposing said medium to said synergistic stimulation in accordance with said building representation to form said object substantially layer by layer.
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34. An apparatus for producing a three-dimensional object out of a medium capable of selective physical transformation upon exposure to synergistic stimulation, comprising:
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at least one computer programmed to form a building representation of the object which deviates from a corresponding object representation, specifying an unsupported object surface, by inclusion of a deviation to reduce distortion in said object, the deviation specifying an unexposed area in at least one substantially formed layer of the object, which area remains unexposed during formation of the layer, which area begins one layer above said unsupported surface, and which area is spaced from the surface by transformed medium; and means coupled to the at least one computer for receiving said building representation, and for selectively exposing said medium to said synergistic stimulation in accordance with said building representation to form said object substantially layer by layer.
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35. An apparatus for producing a three-dimensional object out of a medium capable of selective physical transformation upon exposure to synergistic stimulation, comprising:
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at least one computer programmed to form a building representation of the object which deviates from a corresponding object representation by inclusion of a deviation of a border of the object to reduce distortion in said object, the deviation specifying transformed medium which anchors said border to previously transformed medium; and means coupled to the at least one computer for receiving said building representation, and for selectively exposing said medium to said synergistic stimulation in accordance with said building representation to form said object substantially layer by layer. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49, 50)
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Specification