Apparatus for three dimensional printing using image layers

• US 7,261,542 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2005
• Issued: 08/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3D Systems, Inc. (3D Systems Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Desktop Factory, Inc. (3D Systems Corporation)
• Inventors: Bedal, Bryan, Hickerson, Kevin P., Diephuis, Richard J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gupta; Yogendra N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ewald; Maria Veronica
• Application Number:
  US11/078,894
• Publication Number:
  US 20050208168A1
• Time in Patent Office: 900 Days
• Field of Search: 425/174.4, 425/375, 264/308, 264/401, 101/417, 101/424.1
• US Class Current: 425/174.4
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/153 using layers of powder being selectively joined, e.g. by selective laser sintering or melting
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/214 Doctor blades
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/245 Platforms or substrates support structures intended to be sacrificed after manufacture B29C64/40
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/295 Heating elements
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/379 Handling of additively manufactured objects, e.g. using robots
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 30/00 Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 40/00 Auxiliary operations or equipment, e.g. for material handling
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 70/00 Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing

Abstract

A three-dimensional printer adapted to construct three dimensional objects is disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, the printer includes a first surface adapted to receive a bulk layer of sinterable powder, a polymer such as nylon powder; a radiant energy source, e.g., an incoherent heat source adapted to focus the heat energy to sinter an image from the layer of sinterable powder; and a transfer mechanism adapted to transfer or print the sintered image from the first surface to the object being assembled while fusing the sintered image to the object being assembled. The transfer mechanism is preferably adapted to simultaneously deposit and fuse the sintered image to the object being assembled. The process of generating an image and transferring it to the object being assembled is repeated for each cross section until the assembled object is completed.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional printer (3DP) adapted to generate an object assembled from a plurality of cross sections, comprising:

a first surface configured to receive a bulk layer of sinterable powder;

a radiant energy source configured to fuse a portion of the layer of sinterable powder an the first surface into an image, the image being a sintered image corresponding to one of said cross sections; and

a transfer mechanism adapted to transfer the sintered image from the first surface to the object being assembled.

2. The 3DP of claim 1, wherein the first surface is a layer processing surface comprising a drum.

3. The 3DP of claim 1, wherein the first surface is a layer processing surface comprising a planar surface.

4. The 3DP of claim 1, wherein the radiant energy source comprises a heat source.

5. The 3DP of claim 4, wherein the heat source comprises a halogen lamp.

6. The 3DP of claim 4, wherein the heat source further comprises a reflector.

7. The 3DP of claim 4, wherein the heat source comprises an elliptical reflector.

8. The 3DP of claim 4, wherein the heat source further comprises one or more apertures adapted to concentrate energy from the heat source onto the first surface.

9. The 3DP of claim 1, wherein the sinterable powder comprises a polymer.

10. The 3DP of claim 9, wherein the polymer comprises nylon.

11. The 3DP of claim 1, wherein the sinterable powder layer is between 5-20 mils in thickness.

12. The 3DP of claim 1, wherein the 3DP further includes a platform assembly adapted to support the object being assembled.

13. The 3DP of claim 12, wherein the sintered image is transferred from the first surface to the object being assembled by simultaneously rolling the first surface and translating the first surface relative to the object being assembled.

14. The 3DP of claim 13, wherein a gap between the first surface and the object being assembled is less than or equal to a thickness of the layer of sinterable powder.

15. The 3DP of claim 12, wherein the platform assembly is further adapted to lower the build surface relative to the first surface after the layer of sintered image is deposited onto the object being assembled.

16. The 3DP of claim 2, wherein the 3DP further comprises a powder applicator adapted to apply the layer of sinterable powder to the drum.

17. The 3DP of claim 16, wherein the powder applicator comprises a layer control blade adjacent to the drum, wherein the angle between an interior angle between a face of the drum and the layer control blade is between 0 and 45 degrees.

18. The 3DP of claim 17, wherein the powder applicator comprises:

a reservoir adapted to retain sinterable powder, and

a conveyor adapted to dispense sinterable powder from the reservoir between the layer control blade and the drum.

19. The 3DP of claim 16, wherein the powder applicator causes the sinterable powder to free fall to the drum, wherein the density of the sinterable powder applied to the drum is substantially normalized.

20. The 3DP of claim 1, wherein the 3DP further comprises a first heating element adapted to hold the abject being assembled at a first predetermined temperature.

21. The 3DP of claim 1, wherein the 3DP further comprises a second heating element adapted to bold a work surface of the object being assembled at a second determined temperature and pressure during assembly of the object.

22. The 3DP of claim 21, wherein the second determined temperature is substantially equal to but less than a melting temperature of the sinterable powder.

23. The 3DP of claim 22, wherein the second heating element comprises a planar surface adapted to:

contact the work surface before the sintered image is transferred to the object being assembled, and

retract when the sintered image is transferred to the object being assembled.

24. The 3DP of claim 23, wherein the work surface is a preceding sintered image transferred before said sintered image.

25. The 3DP of claim 1, wherein the transfer mechanism comprises a transfixing heater adapted to fuse the sintered image to the abject being assembled, wherein the transfixing heater is in proximity to the sintered image and the object being assembled.

26. The 3DP of claim 25, wherein the transfixing heater is parallel to and moves with the first surface.

27. The 3DP of claim 1, wherein the 3DP further comprises a layer thickness control processor adapted to regulate the thickness of a sintered layer fused to the object being assembled.

28. The 3DP of claim 27, wherein the layer thickness control processor is adapted to regulate a quantity of sinterable powder dispensed by an applicator.

29. The 3DP of claim 27, wherein the layer thickness control processor is adapted to regulate a position of a blade with respect to the first surface.

30. The 3DP of claim 27, wherein the layer thickness control processor is adapted to regulate the time and pressure used to transfer the sintered image to the object being assembled.

31. The 3DP of claim 27, wherein the 3DP further comprises a mechanism to determine a height of the object being assembled, and wherein the layer thickness control processor is adapted to compress the object being assembled based on the determined height.

32. The 3DP of claim 1, wherein the 3DP further comprises means for cleaning the first surface after the sintered image is transferred to the object being assembled.

33. The 3DP of claim 32, wherein the means for cleaning the first surface is selected from the group consisting of:

a scraper, a brush, vacuum, blower and a corona wire.

34. The 3DP of claim 1, wherein the 3DP further comprises means for cleaning a work surface of the object being assembled.

35. The 3DP of claim 34, wherein the means for cleaning the work surface is selected from the group consisting of a rotary brush, a vacuum, a blower and a corona wire for drawing powder off the work surface using electrostatic attraction.

36. The 3DP of claim 1, wherein the 3DP further comprises object cooling means adapted to accelerate cooling of the sintered image fused to the object being assembled.

37. The 3DP of claim 1, wherein the first surface comprises a temperature regulator and heating clement adapted to heat the temperature of the first surface substantially equal to and less than a fusing point of the sinterable powder.

38. The 3DP of claim 8, wherein the size of at least one of the one or more apertures is adjustable.

39. The 3DP of claim 4, wherein the beat source is adapted to select one of a plurality of apertures, wherein each of the apertures is adapted to concentrate energy from the radiant energy source onto the first surface with a different spot size.

40. The 3DP of claim 1, wherein the transfer mechanism is further adapted to fuse the sintered image to the object being assembled.

41. The 3DP of claim 40, wherein the transfer mechanism is adapted to concurrently transfer the sintered image from the first surface and fuse the sintered image to the object being assembled.

42. The 3DP of claim 1 further adapted to deposit unsintered powder from the first surface onto the object being assembled to provide support for a subsequent sintered image.

43. The 3DP of claim 1, wherein the first surface comprises a continuous surface of anodized aluminum.

44. The 3DP of claim 1, wherein die 3DP is adapted to fuse the sintered image on the first surface with each of a plurality of spot sizes based on a size of an object feature, the plurality of spot sizes comprising a first spot size for fusing a first portion of the sintered image and a second spot size for fusing a second portion of the sintered image, and wherein the first spot size is different than the second spot size.

45. The 3DP of claim 1, wherein 3DP is adapted to fuse each of a plurality of sintered images of the object with one of a plurality of spot sizes.

53. The 3DP of claim 1, wherein the transfer mechanism is configured to directly transfer the sintered image from the first surface to the object being assembled.

46. A three-dimensional printer (3DP) adapted to generate an object assembled from a plurality of cross sections, comprising:

a drum adapted to receive a bulk layer consisting of sinterable powder;

a powder applicator adapted to;

dispense sinterable powder in bulk to the drum, and

normalize the density of sinterable powder dispensed to the drum;

an incoherent energy source is adapted to focus the energy and fuse at least a portion of the bulk layer of sinterable powder on the drum into a sintered image, the sintered image corresponding to one of said cross sections;

a transfer mechanism adapted to concurrently;

transfer the sintered image from the drum to the object being assembled, and

fuse the sintered image to the object being assembled;

a first heating element adapted to hold the object being assembled at a first predetermined temperature; and

a second heating element adapted to hold a surface of the object being assembled at a second determined temperature during assembly of the object.

47. A method of generating an object assembled from a plurality of cross sections, the method comprising the steps of:

generating a layer comprising sinterable powder on a first surface, wherein the layer comprises a bulk layer of sinterable powder from which one or more of said cross sections is imaged;

generating a sintered image using a radiant energy source configured to fuse at least a portion of the layer of sinterable powder while on the first surface; and

transferring the sintered image from the first surface to the object being assembled.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein the method further comprises the step of:

adhering the sintered image to the object being assembled concurrently with transferring the sintered image from the first surface to the object being assembled.

49. The method of claim 47, wherein the sinterable powder comprises a polymer.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein the polymer is selected from the group consisting of:

nylon 11 and nylon 12.

51. A three-dimensional printer (3DP) adapted to generate an object assembled from a plurality of crass sections, comprising:

a first surface configured to receive a layer of sinterable powder;

a focused radiant energy source configured to selectively fuse a portion of the layer of sinterable powder on the first surface into a sintered image, the sintered image corresponding to one of said cross sections; and

a transfer mechanism adapted to transfer the sintered image from the first surface to the object being assembled.

52. The 3DP of claim 51, wherein the layer of sinterable powder on the first surface is a bulk layer of sinterable powder from which the corresponding one of said cross sections is imaged.