Weight-based identification of three dimensional printed parts

• US 9,821,519 B2
• Filed: 12/24/2015
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shapeways Incorporated (Shapeways Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Shapeways Incorporated (Shapeways Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schouwenburg, Robert D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ramesh
• Application Number:
  US14/757,871
• Publication Number:
  US 20160214324A1
• Time in Patent Office: 698 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/386 Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/00 Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/02 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 17/00 Apparatus for or methods of weighing material of special form or property determining weight by measuring volume G01F
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/414 using electronic computing means only
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4099 Surface or curve machining, making 3D objects, e.g. desktop manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/35134 3-D cad-cam
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/49007 Making, forming 3-D object, model, surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/00 Computer-aided design [CAD]

Abstract

Methods and systems for weight-based identification of three dimensional (3D) printed parts. Various embodiments disclosed herein may permit reliable processing of 3D printed parts to effectively scale a 3D printing service to large volumes of orders for 3D printed parts.

Claims

1. A computer system configured to process a plurality of three dimensional (3D) printed part orders, the system comprising:

a memory; and

a processing unit coupled to the memory, wherein the processing unit is operative to;

receive a plurality of orders, each including an indication of a 3D model to print and a material to print the 3D model;

calculate a theoretical weight for each 3D model in the plurality of orders based on a volume of the respective 3D model and a density of the indicated material;

receive an indication of a weight of a 3D printed part;

compare the indication of the weight of the 3D printed part to the theoretical weight associated with each 3D model in the plurality of orders; and

identify a subset of the plurality of orders responsive to comparing the indication of the weight of the 3D printed part to the theoretical weight associated with each 3D model, the subset having a size less than a total number of orders in the plurality of orders.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further operative to output the subset.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a printer configured to print at least one part label for at least one order of the subset.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the at least one part label includes at least one of a barcode, a model number of the 3D model and an order number for the 3D printed part.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the processing unit is further operative to sort the change a status of the at least one order responsive to generating the at least one part label.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing unit being operative to select a subset further includes the processing unit being operative to select an order to include in the subset responsive to a determination that a deviation of the theoretical weight of a 3D model associated with the order relative to the indication of the weight of the 3D printed part does not exceed a predetermined threshold value.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a printing device to print the 3D printed part.

8. A computer-implemented method for processing a plurality of three dimensional (3D) printed part orders, the method comprising:

receiving, by a computer system, a plurality of orders each including an indication of a 3D model to print and a material to print the 3D model;

calculating, by the computer system, a theoretical weight for each 3D model in the plurality of orders based on a volume of the respective 3D model and a density of the indicated material;

receiving, by the computer system, an indication of a weight of a 3D printed part;

comparing, by the computer system, the indication of the weight of the 3D printed part to the theoretical weight associated with each 3D model in the plurality of orders; and

identifying, by the computer system, a subset of the plurality of orders responsive to comparing the indication of the weight of the 3D printed part to the theoretical weight associated with each 3D model, the subset having a size less than a total number of orders in the plurality of orders.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising outputting the subset of the plurality of orders.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising generating at least one part label for at least one order of the subset.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one part label includes at least one of a barcode, a model number of the 3D printed part, and an order number.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising changing a status of the at least one order responsive to generating the at least one part label.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein selecting the subset further includes selecting an order to include in the subset responsive to determining that a deviation of the theoretical weight of a 3D model associated with the order relative to the indication of the weight of the 3D printed part does not exceed a predetermined threshold value.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising printing the 3D printed part.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing sequences of executable instructions configured to process a plurality of three dimensional (3D) printed part orders, the sequences of instructions including instructions to:

receive a plurality of orders, each including an indication of a 3D model to print and a material to print the 3D model;

calculate a theoretical weight for each 3D model in the plurality of orders based on a volume of the respective 2D model and a density of the indicated material;

receive an indication of a weight of a 3D printed part;

compare the indication of the weight of the 3D printed part to the theoretical weight associated with each 3D model in the plurality of orders; and

identify a subset of the plurality of orders responsive to comparing the indication of the weight of the 3D printed part to the theoretical weight associated with each 3D model, the subset having a size less than a total number of orders in the plurality of orders.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions to output the subset.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions to generate at least one part label for at least one order of the subset.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, further comprising instructions to change a status of the at least one order responsive to generating the at least one part label.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions to select the subset include instructions to select an order to include in the subset responsive to determining that a deviation of the theoretical weight of a 3D model associated with the order relative to the indication of the weight of the 3D printed part does not exceed a predetermined threshold value.

20. The non-transitory compute readable medium of claim 15, further comprising instructions to print the 3D printed part.