Methods and compositions related to stereolithography
First Claim
1. An improved system for producing a three-dimensional object from a fluid medium, comprising the following components:
- (a) a body of fluid medium capable of solidification when subjected to prescribed stimulation, said fluid medium itself comprising;
(i) at least one monomer or oligomer containing at least one epoxycyclohexyl group which is bonded directly or indirectly to a group containing at least one silicon atom, and(ii) a cationic photoinitiator for component (i);
(b) object support means immersed within said fluid medium for supporting a three-dimensional object to be formed;
(c) translational means for selectively moving said object support means progressively away from a designated surface of said fluid medium; and
(d) reaction means capable of altering the physical state of the fluid medium, and operating in a prescribed pattern upon said designated surface of the medium to provide a thin solid lamina at the surface, representing a corresponding cross-sectional lamina of the three-dimensional object to be formed;
whereby successive adjacent laminae are provided to form the three-dimensional object on the object support means as the translational means moves the support means away from the designated surface.
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Abstract
An improved system for producing a three-dimensional object from a fluid medium is described. The fluid medium includes an epoxy-functional silicon-containing monomer or oligomer, and a suitable cationic photoinitiator. The medium is used in a stereolithographic apparatus, which converts computer-generated data for the desired part to a real three-dimensional part, via the directed action of a laser beam or similar energy form on the liquid medium. This invention also embraces a method for producing the three-dimensional object from the liquid medium, utilizing a family of epoxy-functional silicon-containing materials.
92 Citations
34 Claims
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1. An improved system for producing a three-dimensional object from a fluid medium, comprising the following components:
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(a) a body of fluid medium capable of solidification when subjected to prescribed stimulation, said fluid medium itself comprising; (i) at least one monomer or oligomer containing at least one epoxycyclohexyl group which is bonded directly or indirectly to a group containing at least one silicon atom, and (ii) a cationic photoinitiator for component (i); (b) object support means immersed within said fluid medium for supporting a three-dimensional object to be formed; (c) translational means for selectively moving said object support means progressively away from a designated surface of said fluid medium; and (d) reaction means capable of altering the physical state of the fluid medium, and operating in a prescribed pattern upon said designated surface of the medium to provide a thin solid lamina at the surface, representing a corresponding cross-sectional lamina of the three-dimensional object to be formed; whereby successive adjacent laminae are provided to form the three-dimensional object on the object support means as the translational means moves the support means away from the designated surface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A stereolithographic system for producing a three-dimensional object from a fluid medium capable of solidification when subjected to prescribed stimulation, wherein the medium comprises the following components:
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(i) at least one monomer or oligomer containing at least one epoxycyclohexyl group which is bonded directly or indirectly to a group containing at least one silicon atom, and (ii) a cationic photoinitiator for component (i).
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31. A method for producing a three-dimensional object from a medium capable of solidification when subjected to prescribed radiation, comprising the following steps:
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(I) containing a body of the medium, which itself comprises the following components; (i) at least one monomer or oligomer containing at least one epoxycyclohexyl group which is bonded directly or indirectly to a group containing at least one silicon atom, and (ii) a cationic photoinitiator for component (i); (II) drawing upon and forming successive cross-sectional laminae of the object at a two-dimensional interface of the medium defining a designated working surface, said laminae including a first cross-sectional layer of structure at the working surface; (III) automatically coating over the entire first cross-sectional layer of structure with a body of the medium, in preparation for formation of a second cross-sectional layer of structure adhered to the first cross-sectional layer; and (IV) moving said cross-sectional layers as they are formed, and building up the object from a plurality of successively adhered layers of structure in stepwise fashion, whereby a three-dimensional object is extracted from a substantially two-dimensional surface. - View Dependent Claims (32)
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33. A method for directly producing a three-dimensional object as it is designed by a computer, comprising the following steps:
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(I) deriving graphic image output from the computer, said graphic image output defining successive adjacent cross-sections of the three-dimensional object designed by the computer; (II) containing a medium capable of solidification;
said medium itself comprising the following components;(i) at least one monomer or oligomer containing at least one epoxycyclohexyl group which is bonded directly or indirectly to a group containing at least one silicon atom, and (ii) a cationic photoinitiator for component (i); (III) drawing upon and forming successive layer cross-sections, corresponding to the computer-designed cross-sections of the object, at a two-dimensional interface of the medium defining a working surface, said layer cross-sections including a first cross-sectional layer of structure at said working surface; (IV) automatically coating over the entire first cross-sectional layer of structure with a body of the medium, in preparation for formation of a second cross-sectional layer of structure adhered to the first cross-sectional layer; (V) moving the cross-sectional layers as they are formed, and building up the object from a plurality of successively-adhered layers in a stepwise fashion, whereby the three-dimensional object designed by the computer is automatically extracted from a substantially two-dimensional surface.
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34. In a stereolithographic method for producing a three-dimensional object from a fluid medium capable of solidification when subjected to prescribed stimulation, the improvement comprising the following steps:
utilizing as the fluid medium a composition which itself comprises the following components; (i) at least one monomer or oligomer containing at least one epoxycyclohexyl group which is bonded directly or indirectly to a group containing at least one silicon atom, and (ii) a cationic photoinitiator for component (i).
Specification