Method for making a three-dimensional body

• US 6,193,922 B1
• Filed: 06/14/1999
• Issued: 02/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Notar Walter, Voxeljet AG
• Original Assignee: Ingo Ederer, Notar Walter
• Inventors: Ederer, Ingo
• Primary Examiner(s): Tentoni, Leo B.
• Application Number:
  US09/202,374
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• Field of Search: 264/221, 264/236, 264/308, 264/317, 264/401, 264/496, 264/497
• US Class Current: 264/401
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/3842 Manufacturing moulds, e.g. shaping the mould surface by machining
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/40 Structures for supporting 3D objects during manufacture and intended to be sacrificed after completion thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for making a three-dimensional body, the construction of which is realised in layers by a purposeful application of material. According to the invention, two different materials are applied to each layer. One is purposeful applied in line along the outer edge of the three-dimensional object in the corresponding section plane, the remaining surfaces being filled with the second material.

Claims

1. Method for producing a three-dimensional body, wherein the production of the three-dimensional body is carried out layer-wise, the method comprising:

selectively depositing two different materials in each layer to follow an exterior contour of the three-dimensional body in said layer, a first material of the different materials being a release material and a second material of the different materials being a building material for building-up the three-dimensional body, wherein, at first, the release material is selectively deposited in a shape of a line to form a thin-walled shell around the exterior contour of said three-dimensional body in the respective layer, whereafter the building material is deposited to fill remaining areas surrounded by the shell.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional body and a support body are produced in a layer-wise manner by depositing said building material inside and outside the thin-walled shell in each layer whereby a release joint between said three-dimensional body and said support body is generated by said thin-walled shell.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein for generating closed or undercut cavities in the three-dimensional body, said release material is selectively deposited within the shell in each respective layer in a layer-wise manner to fill regions belonging to the cavity volume.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein a wax material is used as said release material.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein a cast resin is used as said building material.

6. Method according to claim 5, wherein deposition of the building material is carried out by flooding and subsequent removing of excess material.

7. Method according to claim 1, wherein a powder material is used as said building material.

8. Method according to claim 7, depositing said building material is carried out by spreading and stripping the building material.

9. Method according to claim 1, wherein the layer deposited last is evened and smoothed in connection with loosening material and the loosened material is removed.

10. Method according to claim 1, wherein said release material is deposited by means of a drop-on-demand printing head.

11. Method according to claim 1, wherein said building material comprises two components, each of which not hardening separately from the other, wherein said components are mixed before depositing the building material and the building material formed by the mixed components is hardened after the deposition of the building material.

12. Method according to claim 1, wherein said building material is hardened by whole-plane irradiation.

13. Method according to claim 1, wherein said three-dimensional body is built-up in a building box on a building platform and said building material is hardened by heat conduction through said building platform and said building box.

14. Method according to claim 1, wherein said building material is hardened by sintering.

15. Method according to claim 1, wherein said building material is hardened by applying gas.

16. Method according to claim 2, wherein the release material is deposited in each layer to additionally form a grid structure of release material outside the thin-walled shell, and the building material is deposited inside and outside the shell to fill remaining areas inside the thin-walled shell and between the grid structure.

17. Method for producing a three-dimensional body, wherein the three-dimensional body is divided into layers and produced layer-by-layer, the method comprising the following sequential steps for building each said layer:

depositing a first material to form a line-shaped shell defining a boundary of the three-dimensional body in said layer;

depositing a second material different from the first material, wherein the second material deposited in an area surrounded by the line-shaped shell is for building-up the three-dimensional body in said layer and the second material deposited outside the area surrounded by the line-shaped shell forms supporting material.