Method and apparatus for identifying surface features associated with selected lamina of a three-dimensional object being stereolithographically formed
First Claim
1. A method of producing a three-dimensional object from a plurality of adhered laminae formed from a material capable of selective physical transformation upon exposure to prescribed stimulation, comprising:
- supply data representing the object to be formed;
forming a layer of material over any previously formed adjacent lamina;
selectively exposing the layer of the material to prescribed stimulation in accordance with the data to form a next lamina of the object and to adhere said next lamina to any previously formed adjacent lamina;
repeating forming the layer and exposing the layer a plurality of times to form the three-dimensional object;
automated processing of the data to identify which laminae are identified with a desired geometric feature; and
wherein forming, for at least some layers, comprises utilization of a first recoating style when the adjacent lamina includes the desired geometric feature and comprises utilization of a second recoating style when the adjacent lamina does not include the desired geometric feature.
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Accused Products
Abstract
This invention relates to the stepwise layer-by-layer formation of a three-dimensional object through application of the principles of stereolithography and to the automatic detection of surface features of each layer of a three-dimensional object to manufacture parts more reliably, more accurately and more quickly. Automatic detection of trapped volume regions and size of solidified cross-sectional regions are disclosed. Automatic selection of recoating styles is made based on (1) the detected regions,(2) empirically or otherwise determined optimum recoating styles for different types of regions, and (3) a look-up table, other correlation system, or processor for associating recoating style information with laminae containing particular identified regions.
168 Citations
34 Claims
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1. A method of producing a three-dimensional object from a plurality of adhered laminae formed from a material capable of selective physical transformation upon exposure to prescribed stimulation, comprising:
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supply data representing the object to be formed; forming a layer of material over any previously formed adjacent lamina; selectively exposing the layer of the material to prescribed stimulation in accordance with the data to form a next lamina of the object and to adhere said next lamina to any previously formed adjacent lamina; repeating forming the layer and exposing the layer a plurality of times to form the three-dimensional object; automated processing of the data to identify which laminae are identified with a desired geometric feature; and wherein forming, for at least some layers, comprises utilization of a first recoating style when the adjacent lamina includes the desired geometric feature and comprises utilization of a second recoating style when the adjacent lamina does not include the desired geometric feature. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 15, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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12. An apparatus for producing a three-dimensional object from a plurality of adhered laminae formed from a material capable of selective physical transformation upon exposure to prescribed stimulation, comprising:
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a memory to store data representing the object to be formed; a coating device to form a layer of material over any previously formed adjacent lamina; a source of prescribed stimulation; a scanner to selectively direct the prescribed stimulation onto the layer of the material in accordance with the data to form a next lamina of the object and to adhere said next lamina to any previously formed adjacent lamina; a processor to provide automated processing of the data to identify which laminae are identified with a desired geometric feature; and wherein the coating device includes at least one adjustable parameter and wherein the at least one adjustable parameter is set to a first value when the adjacent lamina includes the desired geometric feature and is set to a second value, which is different from the first value when the adjacent lamina does not include the desired geometric feature. - View Dependent Claims (16, 27, 28)
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13. A method of producing a three-dimensional object from a plurality of adhered laminae formed from a material capable of selective physical transformation upon exposure to prescribed stimulation, comprising:
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supplying data representing the object to be formed; forming a layer of material over any previously formed adjacent lamina; selectively exposing the layer of the material to prescribed stimulation in accordance with the data to form a next lamina of the object and to adhere said next lamina to any previously formed adjacent lamina; repeating forming a layer and exposing the layer a plurality of times to form the three-dimensional object; and automated processing of the data to identify which laminae include a trapped volume, wherein forming, for at least some layers, comprises utilization of a first recoating style when the adjacent lamina has an associated trapped volume and comprises utilization of a second recoating style when the adjacent lamina does not include a trapped volume. - View Dependent Claims (18, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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14. An apparatus for producing a three-dimensional object from a plurality of adhered laminae formed from a material capable of selective physical transformation upon exposure to prescribed stimulation, comprising:
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a memory to store data representing the object to be formed; a coating device to form a layer of material over any previously formed adjacent lamina; a source of prescribed stimulation; a scanner to selectively direct the prescribed stimulation onto the layer of the material in accordance with the data to form a next lamina of the object and to adhere said next lamina to any previously formed adjacent lamina; a processor to provide automated processing of the data to identify which laminae are identified with a trapped volume feature; and wherein the coating device includes at least one adjustable parameter and wherein the at least one adjustable parameter is set to a first value when the adjacent lamina includes the trapped volume feature and is set to a second value, which is different from the first value when the adjacent lamina does not include the trapped volume feature. - View Dependent Claims (17, 33, 34)
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19. A method of producing a three-dimensional object from a plurality of adhered laminae formed from a material capable of selective physical transformation upon exposure to prescribed stimulation, comprising:
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supplying data representing the object to be formed; forming a layer of material over any previously formed adjacent lamina; selectively exposing the layer of the material to prescribed stimulation in accordance with the data to form a next lamina of the object and to adhere said next lamina to any previously formed adjacent lamina; repeating forming the layer and exposing the layer a plurality of times to form the three-dimensional object; and processing the data to identify which laminae are identified with a desired geometric feature comprising a trapped volume region; wherein forming, for at least some layers, comprises utilization of a first recoating style when the adjacent lamina includes the desired geometric feature and comprises utilization of a second recoating style when the adjacent lamina does not include the desired geometric feature; and wherein the processing of the data comprises; deriving the potential trapped volume region associated with lamina N including unioning any up-facing regions associated with lamina N-1 and any trapped volume regions associated with lamina N-1; identifying individual holes associated with lamina N; comparing the individual holes associated with lamina N to the potential trapped volume region associated with lamina N; and identifying a trapped volume as being associated with lamina N if at least one individual hole for lamina N has an overlap with the potential trapped volume region associated with lamina N which is greater than a predetermined criteria.
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20. An apparatus for producing a three-dimensional object from a plurality of adhered laminae formed from a material capable of selective physical transformation upon exposure to prescribed stimulation, comprising:
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a memory for storing data representing the object to be formed; a coating device for forming a layer of material over any previously formed adjacent lamina; a source of prescribed stimulation; a scanner for selectively directing the prescribed stimulation onto the layer of the material in accordance with the data to form a next lamina of the object and to adhere said next lamina to any previously formed adjacent lamina; a processor for processing the data to identify which laminae are identified with a desired geometric feature comprising a trapped volume region; and wherein the coating device includes at least one adjustable parameter and wherein the at least one adjustable parameter is set to a first value when the adjacent lamina includes the desired geometric feature and is set to a second value, which is different from the first value when the adjacent lamina does not include the desired geometric feature; wherein the processor is programmed to; (1) derive the potential trapped volume region associated with lamina N including unioning any up-facing regions associated with lamina N-1 and any trapped volume regions associated with lamina N-1; (2) identify individual holes associated with lamina N; (3) compare the individual holes associated with lamina N to the potential trapped volume region associated with lamina N; and (4) identify a trapped volume as being associated with lamina N if at least one individual hole for lamina N has an overlap with the potential trapped volume region associated with lamina N which is greater than a predetermined criteria.
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21. An apparatus for producing a three-dimensional object from a plurality of adhered laminae formed from a material capable of selective physical transformation upon exposure to prescribed stimulation, comprising:
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means for storing data representing the object to be formed; means for forming a layer of material over any previously formed adjacent lamina; means for supplying prescribed stimulation; means for selectively directing the prescribed stimulation onto the layer of the material in accordance with the data to form a next lamina of the object and to adhere said next lamina to any previously formed adjacent lamina; means for providing automated processing of the data to identify which laminae are identified with a desired geometric feature; and wherein the means for forming includes at least one adjustable parameter and wherein the at least one adjustable parameter is set to a first value when the adjacent lamina includes the desired geometric feature and is set to a second value, which is different from the first value when the adjacent lamina does not include the desired geometric feature.
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22. An apparatus for producing a three-dimensional object from a plurality of adjered laminae formed from a material capable of selective physical transformation upon exposure to prescribed stimulation, comprising:
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means for storing data representing the object to be formed; means for forming a layer of material over any previously formed adjacent lamina, means for supplying prescribed stimulation; means for selectively directing the prescribed stimulation onto the layer of the material in accordance with the data to form a next lamina of the object and to adhere said next lamina to any previously formed adjacent lamina; means for providing automated processing of the data to identify which laminae are identified with a trapped volume feature; and wherein the means for forming includes at least one adjustable parameter and wherein the at least one adjustable parameter is set to a first value when the adjacent lamina includes the trapped volume feature and is set to a second value, which is different from the first value when the adjacent lamina does not include the trapped volume feature.
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Specification