Resin solidification substrate and assembly

• US 8,372,330 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2010
• Issued: 02/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gulf Filtration Systems Inc. (Desktop Metal, Inc.), Global Filtration Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Gulf Filtration Systems Inc. (Desktop Metal, Inc.)
• Inventors: El-Siblani, Ali, Shkolnik, Alexandr
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Christina
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUDA, SAEED M
• Application Number:
  US12/907,853
• Publication Number:
  US 20110089610A1
• Time in Patent Office: 847 Days
• Field of Search: 264/40.1, 264/308, 264/316, 264/337, 264/401
• US Class Current: 264/401
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/44 with means for, or specially constructed to facilitate, the removal of articles, e.g. of undercut articles
• 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 64/188 involving additional operations performed on the added layers, e.g. smoothing, grinding or thickness control surface shaping B29C59/00; after-treatment of articles without altering their shape B29C71/00
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/245 Platforms or substrates support structures intended to be sacrificed after manufacture B29C64/40
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/255 Enclosures for the building material, e.g. powder containers
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/264 Arrangements for irradiation
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/40 Structures for supporting 3D objects during manufacture and intended to be sacrificed after completion thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2827/12 containing fluorine
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2883/00 Use of polymers having silicon, with or without sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen, or carbon only, in the main chain, as mould material
• 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 70/00 Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing

Abstract

A solidification substrate assembly for making a three-dimensional object from a solidifiable material includes a solidification substrate assembly. In certain examples, the solidifiable material solidifies in contact with the solidification substrate, and the tilting of the substrate and/or or the use of a peeling member facilitates separation of the substrate from the solidified material. In other examples, the solidification substrate assembly includes a film that is adjacent to a rigid or semi-rigid layer. The solidifiable material solidifies in contact with the film, and a peeling member peels the film away from the solidified material. Intelligent solidification substrate assemblies are also described in which a force sensor determines when to expose the solidifiable material to solidification energy and/or whether to use a peeling member to separate the solidification substrate from a solidified objection section.

Claims

1. A method of making a three-dimensional object from a solidifiable material, comprising:

providing a rigid or semi-rigid solidification substrate that is transparent and/or translucent and a first film layer that is transparent and/or translucent;

providing a peeling member;

solidifying the solidifiable material in contact with the first film layer to

create a solidified object section while maintaining a substantially fixed distance between the rigid or semi-rigid solidification substrate and the peeling member, wherein the first film layer is disposed between the rigid or semi-rigid solidification substrate and the peeling member;

moving the peeling member along the length of the first film layer while maintaining the substantially fixed distance between the peeling member and the rigid or semi-rigid solidification substrate to peel the first translucent film layer from the solidified object section;

providing a second film layer that is transparent and/or translucent between the first film layer and the rigid or semi-rigid solidification substrate; and

admitting air between the second film layer and the rigid or semi-rigid solidification substrate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second film layer includes a relieved section.

3. A method of producing a three-dimensional object from a solidifiable material, comprising:

providing solidifiable material between a previously solidified object section and a solidification substrate;

determining a first force applied to the solidification substrate;

supplying solidification energy to the solidifiable material based on the first force;

moving the previously solidified object section away from the solidification substrate, determining a second force applied to the solidification substrate, and traversing a peeling member along the length of the solidification substrate based on the second force.

4. A method of producing a solidifiable object from a solidifiable material, comprising:

providing a source of solidifiable material having a total exposable area to which solidification energy may be supplied;

supplying solidification energy exclusively to a sub-area of the total exposable area while the sub-area is at a first location with respect to the total exposable area;

moving the sub-area in a first direction to a second location with respect to the total exposable area; and

supplying solidification energy exclusively to the sub-area of the total exposable area while the sub-area is at the second location with respect to the total exposable area, wherein the step of supplying solidification energy exclusively to a sub-area of the total exposable area while the sub-area is at the first location with respect to the total exposable area comprises transmitting solidification energy from a source of solidification energy into a first surface of a rigid or semi-rigid substrate that is transparent and/or translucent and transmitting the solidification energy from a second surface of the rigid or semi-rigid substrate and into the solidifiable material, wherein the first surface of the rigid or semi-rigid substrate has a first surface area, the second surface of the rigid or semi-rigid substrate has a second surface area, and the first rigid or semi-rigid substrate surface area is greater than the second rigid or semi-rigid substrate surface area.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the rigid or semi-rigid substrate has a beveled edge.

6. A method of producing a solidifiable object from a solidifiable material, comprising:

providing a source of solidifiable material having a total exposable area to which solidification energy may be supplied;

supplying solidification energy exclusively to a sub-area of the total exposable area while the sub-area is at a first location with respect to the total exposable area;

moving the sub-area in a first direction to a second location with respect to the total exposable area;

supplying solidification energy exclusively to the sub-area of the total exposable area while the sub-area is at the second location with respect to the total exposable area

moving the sub-area in a second direction to the first location; and

supplying solidification energy exclusively to the sub-area of the total exposable area while the sub-area is at a first location with respect to the total exposable area.