Device, system and method for accurate printing of three dimensional objects

• US 7,369,915 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2007
• Issued: 05/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Stratasys Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Objet Geometries
• Inventors: Rodin-Entin, Tatyana, Chechik, Dani, Kritchman, Eliahu M., Gothait, Hanan
• Primary Examiner(s): KOSOWSKI, ALEXANDER J
• Application Number:
  US11/730,443
• Publication Number:
  US 20070173967A1
• Time in Patent Office: 400 Days
• Field of Search: 700118-120, 700/98
• US Class Current: 700/118
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 37/005 Compensating volume or shape change during moulding, in general
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 41/48 Compensating volume change, e.g. retraction
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 41/52 Measuring, controlling or regulating
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/112 using individual droplets, e.g. from jetting heads
• 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 50/02 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 11/00 Component parts of measuring arrangements not specially adapted for a specific variable G01D13/00, G01D15/00 take precedence

Abstract

A system and method for building three dimensional objects may adjust data used to build the objects to, for example, improve quality or correct for defects. A printer may, for example, accept data representing the object and modify the data according to an adjustment parameter; the printer may build the object according to the parameter. The parameter may be, for example, calculating an adjustment parameter in an X-Y slice plane to compensate for inaccuracies caused by diffusion of materials into one another.

Claims

1. A method for building a three-dimensional object by depositing build and support materials onto a printing surface, layer upon layer, within a printing system, the method comprising:

providing data representing a three-dimensional object, the data comprising X, Y and Z coordinates;

calculating a surface offset parameter in an X-Y slice plane to compensate for inaccuracies caused by diffusion of the build and support materials into one another;

modifying the data representing the three dimensional-object based on the offset parameter; and

printing at least one layer of the three-dimensional object according to modified data.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising applying data provided by a user to calculate the offset parameter.

3. The method according to claim 1, comprising calculating the offset parameter based on a material type.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein calculating the offset parameter comprises calculating the offset for a section of the object, based on whether a support material is to be dispensed adjacent to said section of the object.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein calculating the offset parameter comprises calculating a surface modification.

6. The method according to claim 1 comprising calculating the offset parameter based on diffusion characteristics of the build and support materials used in building the three-dimensional object.

7. The method according to claim 1 comprising calculating the offset parameter based on an expected diffusion of the materials.

8. A system for building a three-dimensional object, the system comprising:

a controller capable of accepting data representing a three-dimensional object, calculating at least one surface offset parameter in an X-Y slice plane to compensate for inaccuracies of the three-dimensional object caused by diffusion of build and supnort materials into one another, and modifying the data representing the three dimensional-object according to the offset parameter;

a printing head connected to the controller, capable of depositing build the and support materials onto a surface according to the data, to form the three-dimensional object; and

a curing unit.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the calculation is based on inaccuracy data provided by a user.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the offset parameter is calculated based on a material type.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein said offset parameter is calculated for a section of the three-dimensional object, based on whether the support material is to be dispensed adjacent to said section of the three-dimensional object.

12. The system according to claim 8, wherein said offset parameter comprises a surface modification.

13. The system according to claim 8, wherein said offset parameter is calculated based on diffusion characteristics of materials used in building the three-dimensional object.

14. The system according to claim 8, wherein said offset parameter is based on an expected diffusion of the materials.