Method of producing industrial components by the action of light on a polymerizable or crosslinkable liquid substance without requiring supports

• US 5,598,340 A
• Filed: 02/01/1995
• Issued: 01/28/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: LASER 3D
• Original Assignee: LASER 3D
• Inventors: Allanic, Andre L., Schaeffer, Philippe J., Medard, Claude P.
• Primary Examiner(s): RUGGIERO, JOSEPH F
• Application Number:
  US08/347,460
• Time in Patent Office: 727 Days
• Field of Search: 364/468, 364/474.24, 364/474.05, 364/476, 364/473, 395/119, 264/22, 264/401, 425/174, 425/174.4
• US Class Current: 700/120
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/165 using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder, catalyst, inhibitor or energy absorber
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/182 in parallel batches
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/40 Structures for supporting 3D objects during manufacture and intended to be sacrificed after completion thereof

Abstract

Method for producing a model of an industrial part by phototransformation of a curable or crosslinkable liquid organic material, comprising the addition of cured grains of material to the series of models to be fabricated, thereby eliminating completely the stage of fabricating of supports.

Claims

1. Method of manufacturing a set E of three-dimensional solid components by phototransformation of a polymerizable or crosslinkable organic material, by absorption of light by polymerization or cross-linking photoinitiators, which comprises:

a) providing at least one source of light radiation;

b) providing automated members for establishing and for superposing, automatically, thin layers of the material;

c) confining the light emitted by the source of light radiation in the form of at least one point of impact on the material;

d) automatically moving said at least one point of impact on the material;

e) storing the geometrical shape of the set E;

f) computing a set of elementary volumes such that, once they are phototransformed, said elementary volumes altogether constitute a set F of components such that E is included in F;

g) controlling and driving all the automated members necessary for the manufacture; and

h) including in the set F of components constructed for the manufacture of the set E, a set G of solid particles, which form during the manufacturing step, a powder of phototransformed material mixed with material still in liquid form, said particles not necessarily having the same geometrical shape.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the set F further includes a set C containing at least one enclosure.

3. Method according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the elements of C completely encompasses at least one element of E.

4. Method according to claim 2, wherein the volume encompassed by at least one of the elements of C is entirely in liquid form on completing manufacture.

5. Method according to claim 3, wherein each element of the set G of solid particles lies inside an element of C.

6. Method according to claim 5, wherein at least one element of C encompasses a volume occupied by elements of C and/or of E, and/or by a medium V comprised of elements of G.

7. Method according to claim 1, wherein the elements of the set G are mutually imbricated.

8. Method according to claim 2, wherein at least one element of C is composed of several contiguous parts connected together via an attachment system, which can be easily broken or opened.

9. Method according to claim 8, wherein the attachment system is a hinge.

10. Method according to claim 8, wherein the attachment system is a bridge of material, sufficiently thin to be able to be broken by hand without any effort.