Method for producing a free-form solid-phase object from a material in the liquid phase
First Claim
1. A method for producing a free-form, three-dimensional, solid-phase object from a liquid-phase metal having appreciable surface tension and well-defined solidification properties including a solidification temperature, comprising:
- ejecting along a controllable trajectory a first liquid-phase metal droplet from an ejection head positioned at a first ejection position toward a first target position; and
ejecting along a controllable trajectory a second liquid-phase metal droplet from the ejection head at a second ejection position toward a second target position at a predetermined time interval from the ejection of the first droplet, the first and second droplets being ejected as discrete droplets at a temperature above the solidification temperature such that the second droplet melds with the first droplet prior to solidification of the first droplet to produce a free-form, three-dimensional, solid-phase object of a desired shape.
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Abstract
A free-form, three-dimensional, solid-phase object (30) is produced from droplets (24) of liquid-phase material having appreciable surface tension and well-defined solidification properties. The liquid-phase material is ejected from an ejection head (20) in discrete droplets onto a substrate (98). The temperature, frequency, size, and trajectory of the droplets and the relative speed of motion between the substrate and the ejection head are adjusted to compensate for the physical properties of the liquid-phase material and the heat dissipation characteristics of the growing object to form a desired object (212).
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method for producing a free-form, three-dimensional, solid-phase object from a liquid-phase metal having appreciable surface tension and well-defined solidification properties including a solidification temperature, comprising:
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ejecting along a controllable trajectory a first liquid-phase metal droplet from an ejection head positioned at a first ejection position toward a first target position; and ejecting along a controllable trajectory a second liquid-phase metal droplet from the ejection head at a second ejection position toward a second target position at a predetermined time interval from the ejection of the first droplet, the first and second droplets being ejected as discrete droplets at a temperature above the solidification temperature such that the second droplet melds with the first droplet prior to solidification of the first droplet to produce a free-form, three-dimensional, solid-phase object of a desired shape. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method for producing a free-form, three-dimensional, solid-phase object from a liquid-phase metal having appreciable surface tension and well-defined solidification properties including a solidification temperature, comprising the steps of:
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ejecting along controllable trajectories at predetermined time intervals liquid-phase metal droplets having a temperature at least 5°
C. greater than the solidification temperature to form a first bead layer; andafter solidification of the first bead ejecting along controllable trajectories at predetermined time intervals subsequent liquid-phase metal droplets having a temperature at least 5°
C. greater than the solidification temperature to form a second bead layer that partly melts the first bead layer to provide a good bond between the first and second bead layers, thereby to produce a three-dimensional, solid-phase object of selective predetermined shape. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21)
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22. A method for producing a free-form, three-dimensional, solid-phase object from a liquid-phase nonmetallic crystalline substance having appreciable surface tension and well-defined solidification properties including a solidification temperature, comprising:
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ejecting along a controllable trajectory a first liquid-phase droplet of the nonmetallic crystalline substance from an ejection head positioned at a first ejection position toward a first target position; and ejecting along a controllable trajectory a second liquid-phase droplet of the nonmetallic crystalline substance from an ejection head positioned at a second ejection position toward a second target position at a predetermined time interval from the ejection of the first droplet, the first and second droplets being ejected at a temperature that is at least 5°
C. greater than the solidification temperature, whereby the second droplet fuses with the first droplet prior to solidification of the first droplet to produce a free-form, three-dimensional, solid-phase, nonmetallic crystalline object of a desired shape. - View Dependent Claims (23)
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Specification