Method and apparatus for producing three-dimensional objects
First Claim
1. A three-dimensional object producing method in which a beam is irradiated on a liquid surface of a liquid photocurable resin to form a succession of cured resin layers corresponding to successive cross-sectional laminae of a three-dimensional object and incrementally, lowering the cured resin layers below the liquid surface as they are formed to build up a three-dimensional copy of the object, wherein the improvement of the method comprises the steps of:
- (a) vector-scanning the beam on a first layer of photo-curable resin along one or more paths corresponding only to the contour or contours of a first one of the cross-sectional laminae of the object to thereby form a line or lines of cured resin in the shape of the contour or contours of a first one of the cross-sectional laminae of the object;
(b) lowering the line or lines of cured resin formed in step (a) below the liquid surface by a distance corresponding to the thickness of one cross-sectional lamina of the three-dimensional object to thereby flow a layer of photo-curable liquid resin to cover the line or lines of cured resin;
(c) thereafter, raster-scanning the beam on the layer of photo-curable resin formed in step (b); and
(d) sequentially repeating steps (a) through (c) to thereby build a sequence of cured resin layers until a complete copy of the object is thereby produced.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A three-dimensional object producing method, and the apparatus for carrying it out, of the type in which a beam is irradiated on a liquid surface of a liquid photo-curable resin to form a succession of cured resin layers corresponding to successive cross-sectional laminae of the three-dimensional object and step-wise moving the cured resin layers as they are formed to build up a three-dimensional copy of object, wherein the improvement of the method comprises vector-scanning the beam on a first layer of photo-curable resin along one or more paths corresponding to the contour or contours of a first one of the cross-sectional laminae of the object, thereafter, raster-scanning the beam on one or more layers of photo-curable resin which are subsequent to the first layer of photo-curable resin, and alternating repeating these different scanning steps until a complete copy of the object is thereby produced.
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Citations
8 Claims
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1. A three-dimensional object producing method in which a beam is irradiated on a liquid surface of a liquid photocurable resin to form a succession of cured resin layers corresponding to successive cross-sectional laminae of a three-dimensional object and incrementally, lowering the cured resin layers below the liquid surface as they are formed to build up a three-dimensional copy of the object, wherein the improvement of the method comprises the steps of:
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(a) vector-scanning the beam on a first layer of photo-curable resin along one or more paths corresponding only to the contour or contours of a first one of the cross-sectional laminae of the object to thereby form a line or lines of cured resin in the shape of the contour or contours of a first one of the cross-sectional laminae of the object; (b) lowering the line or lines of cured resin formed in step (a) below the liquid surface by a distance corresponding to the thickness of one cross-sectional lamina of the three-dimensional object to thereby flow a layer of photo-curable liquid resin to cover the line or lines of cured resin; (c) thereafter, raster-scanning the beam on the layer of photo-curable resin formed in step (b); and (d) sequentially repeating steps (a) through (c) to thereby build a sequence of cured resin layers until a complete copy of the object is thereby produced. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A three-dimensional object producing apparatus including means for irradiating a beam on a liquid surface of a liquid photo-curable resin to form a succession of cured resin layers corresponding to successive cross-sectional laminae of a three-dimensional object and means for incrementally lowering the cured resin layers below the liquid surface as they are formed to build up a three-dimensional copy of the object, the apparatus comprising:
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(a) means for vector-scanning the beam on a first layer of photo-curable resin along one or more paths corresponding only to the contour or contours of a first one of the cross-sectional laminae of the object to thereby form a line or lines of cured resin in the shape of the contour or contours of a first one of the cross-sectional laminae of the object; (b) means for lowering the line or lines of cured resin formed by the vector scanning means below the liquid surface by a distance corresponding to the thickness of one crosssectional lamina of the three-dimensional object to thereby flow a layer of photo-curable liquid resin to cover the line or lines of cured resin; (c) means for thereafter raster-scanning the beam on the layer of photo-curable resin covering the line or lines of cured resin; and (d) wherein the vector-scanning means, the means for lowering, an the raster-scanning means operate repeatedly and sequentially until a complete copy of the object is thereby produced. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8)
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Specification