Methods and systems for producing an object through solid freeform fabrication by varying a concentration of ejected material applied to an object layer

• US 7,497,977 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2003
• Issued: 03/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Hunter, Shawn, Nielsen, Jeffrey A., Collins, David C., Castle, Steven T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tentoni; Leo B
• Application Number:
  US10/354,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20040159978A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,225 Days
• Field of Search: 264/208, 264/113, 264/308, 347/54
• US Class Current: 264/113
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/112 using individual droplets, e.g. from jetting heads
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/165 using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder, catalyst, inhibitor or energy absorber
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/386 Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/00 Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2113/10 Additive manufacturing, e.g. 3D printing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2119/18 Manufacturability analysis or optimisation for manufacturability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4092 Edge or detail enhancement
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A method of producing an object through solid freeform fabrication includes varying a concentration of ejected material applied to form a particular object layer.

Claims

1. A method of producing an object through solid freeform fabrication, said method comprising ejecting material to form a particular planar layer of said object, said planar layer having a height (h), and, while forming said planar layer and at an edge of said planar layer, varying a quantity of said ejected material applied per unit volume to form a series of steps in said planar layer with heights different than (h);

wherein said varying further comprises progressively reducing the quantity of a binder or build material applied over a transition region between terraced object layers;

wherein said reducing further comprises dithering a fluid ejection apparatus that is ejecting said binder or build material.

2. A method of producing an object through solid freeform fabrication, said method comprising ejecting material to form a particular planar layer of said object, said planar layer having a height (h), and, while forming said planar layer and at an edge of said planar layer, varying a quantity of said ejected material applied per unit volume to form a series of steps in said planar layer with heights different than (h);

wherein said varying further comprises progressively increasing the quantity of a binder or build material over said transition region between terraced object layers;

wherein said increasing further comprises oversaturating a build material with binder over said transition region.

3. A method of compensating for visual and textural terracing effects of an object created by a solid freeform fabrication system that uses a fluid ejection process to build successive layers of said object being fabricated, said method comprising:

ejecting material to form a particular planar layer of said object, said planar layer, having a height (h), and, while forming said planar layer,

applying more ejected material to a layer at a transition between adjacent layers than is applied at a bulk layer material region of said object to form at least one step in said planar layer with a height greater than (h);

wherein said applying more ejected material further comprises oversaturating a build material with said binder.

4. A method of producing an object through solid freeform fabrication, said method comprising;

distributing a layer of powdered build material; and

selectively ejecting a binder into said layer of build material to form a planar cross-section of said object having a height (h);

wherein selectively ejecting said binder comprises varying a quantity of binder ejected per unit area to form a particular object layer such that variation in said quantity of binder ejected per unit area produces a series of vertical steps in said planar layer with heights different than (h);

wherein said varying further comprises progressively reducing the quantity of a binder applied over a transition region between terraced object layers;

wherein said reducing further comprises dithering a fluid ejection apparatus that is ejecting said binder.

5. A method of producing an object through solid freeform fabrication, said method comprising:

distributing a layer of powdered build material; and

selectively ejecting two different binders into said layer of build material to form a cross-section of said object;

wherein one of said binders binds said build material more strongly than another of said binders and said binders are selectively ejected into a layer to reduce terracing with one or more adjacent layers in said object.