Stereolithographic method and apparatus with enhanced control of prescribed stimulation production and application
First Claim
1. A stereolithographic method of forming a three-dimensional object from a plurality of adhered laminae by exposing successive layers of a material to a beam of prescribed stimulation, comprising:
- providing a source of a beam of prescribed stimulation;
forming a layer of material adjacent to any last formed layer of material in preparation for forming a subsequent lamina of the object;
exposing the material to the beam of prescribed stimulation to form the subsequent lamina of the object according to a plurality of exposure vectors representing the subsequent lamina; and
repeating the acts of forming and exposing a plurality of times in order to form the object from a plurality of adhered laminae,wherein providing a plurality of non-exposure vectors between at least some pairs of successive exposure vectors, wherein the non-exposure vectors comprise a ramp vector and a jump vector.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A rapid prototyping and manufacturing (e.g. stereolithography) method and apparatus for producing three-dimensional objects by selectively subjecting a liquid or other fluid-like material to a beam of prescribed stimulation. In a preferred embodiment a source of prescribed stimulation is controlled to reduce or inhibit the production of the prescribed stimulation during at least some periods when the prescribed stimulation is not needed to expose the material. In another preferred embodiment, the source of stimulation is controlled to vary the quantity of prescribed stimulation that is produced and allowed to reach the material. In an additional preferred embodiment control of laser output occurs based on a combination of supplying a regulated amount of voltage to an AOM in conjunction with temporary sensing of laser power and a known desired power to attain. In a further preferred embodiment, a quantity of prescribed stimulation may be set by consideration of desired solidification depths to be used, beam profile characteristics, material properties, and scanning speed limitations for different data types. In a still further preferred embodiment, a transition between selected consecutive exposure vectors is performed by scanning one or more interposed non-exposure vectors with the beam inhibited from reaching the building material.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A stereolithographic method of forming a three-dimensional object from a plurality of adhered laminae by exposing successive layers of a material to a beam of prescribed stimulation, comprising:
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providing a source of a beam of prescribed stimulation;
forming a layer of material adjacent to any last formed layer of material in preparation for forming a subsequent lamina of the object;exposing the material to the beam of prescribed stimulation to form the subsequent lamina of the object according to a plurality of exposure vectors representing the subsequent lamina; and repeating the acts of forming and exposing a plurality of times in order to form the object from a plurality of adhered laminae, wherein providing a plurality of non-exposure vectors between at least some pairs of successive exposure vectors, wherein the non-exposure vectors comprise a ramp vector and a jump vector. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A stereolithographic apparatus for forming a three-dimensional object from a plurality of adhered laminae by exposing successive layers of a material to a beam of prescribed stimulation, comprising:
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a source of a beam of prescribed stimulation;
a recoating system to form a layer of material adjacent to any last formed layer of material in preparation for forming a subsequent lamina of the object;a scanning system to expose the material to the beam of prescribed stimulation to form the subsequent lamina of the object according to a plurality of exposure vectors representing the subsequent lamina; and a computer programmed to operate the recoating system and the scanning system to form thc object from a plurality of adhered laminae, wherein software is programmed or hardware is configured to provide a plurality of non-exposure vectors between at least some pairs of successive exposure vectors, wherein the non-exposure vectors comprise a first ramp vector and a jump vector. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification