Method for printing of three-dimensional objects

• US 7,604,768 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 10/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stratasys Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Objet Geometries
• Inventors: Kritchman, Eliahu M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kornakov; Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhao; Xiao
• Application Number:
  US11/980,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20080124475A1
• Time in Patent Office: 720 Days
• Field of Search: 427/553, 264/401, 264/40.1, 264/442, 264/308, 264/317, 264/497, 425/174.4, 425/375, 425/449, 524/556, 524/560, 347/1, 347/20, 347/44, 347/54, 347/85, 347/88, 700/119, 700/120
• US Class Current: 264/401
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2948/92209 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2948/92704 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 37/005 Compensating volume or shape change during moulding, in general
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 41/02 for making articles of definite length, i.e. discrete articles
• 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 48/92 Measuring, controlling or regulating
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/106 using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/112 using individual droplets, e.g. from jetting heads
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/118 using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM]
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/124 using layers of liquid which are selectively solidified
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/129 characterised by the energy source therefor, e.g. by global irradiation combined with a mask
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/135 the energy source being concentrated, e.g. scanning lasers or focused light sources
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/245 Platforms or substrates support structures intended to be sacrificed after manufacture B29C64/40
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/40 Structures for supporting 3D objects during manufacture and intended to be sacrificed after completion thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2009/00 Layered products
• 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 40/10 Pre-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 40/20 : Post-treatment, e.g. curing, coating or polishing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/02 : for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 3/16 : Braille printing typewriters or selective printing mechanisms for Braille printing B41J3/32

Abstract

A method to help control the quality of printed three-dimensional objects is provided. The method may include depositing building materials to print a three-dimensional object with an adjacent support construction such that the object and the support construction are separated by a barrier and the barrier includes vacant pixels, where no building material is deposited.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional object printing method, comprising:

depositing building materials to print, layer by layer, a three-dimensional object with an adjacent support construction, wherein within a layer, a portion of said object and a portion of said support construction are separated by a barrier space of vacant pixels, where no material is deposited, and said barrier space within the layer enables spread of materials from the portion of said object and the portion of said support construction into the barrier space.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said building materials comprise modeling material, support material or a combination of modeling and support materials.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the spread of the reduces direct mixing of the materials of said object and said support construction.

4. The method of claims 1, wherein said barrier space forms in the layer a line of separation between said object and said support construction.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the thickness of said line of separation is determined based on the diameter of droplets of building material deposited.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the width of the line of separation ranges between ¼

of to 4 times the droplet diameter.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein said object comprises at least one modeling material or a combination of modeling material and support material and said support construction comprises at least a support material or a combination of support material and modeling material.