Smooth 3D printing using multi-stage filaments

• US 9,908,291 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Issued: 03/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Mech, Radomir
• Primary Examiner(s): Sultana, Nahida
• Application Number:
  US14/041,045
• Publication Number:
  US 20150091200A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,618 Days
• Field of Search: 264401, 264308, 264 407, 425375, 425150, 4251744
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/04 Particle-shaped making granules B29B9/00
• 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 64/118 using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM]
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/141 using only solid materials
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/393 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/02 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes

Abstract

This document describes techniques and apparatuses for smooth 3D printing using multi-stage filaments. These techniques are capable of creating smoother surfaces than many current techniques. In some cases, the techniques determine a portion of a surface of a 3D object that includes, or will include, a printing artifact or is otherwise not smooth, and then applies multi-stage filaments to provide a smoothing surface over that portion.

Claims

1. One or more tangible and non-transitory computer-readable media having instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by one or more computer processors, perform a method comprising:

determining, based on a desired three-dimensional (3D) object intended to be created using 3D printing, a portion of a surface in which support-to-support distances exceed a maximum droop distance of a multi-stage filament intended to be used to create a smoothing surface on the 3D object; and

creating a 3D production model usable to control a filament-providing element to provide;

a prior stage of production, the prior stage for the portion of the surface in which support-to-support distances exceed the maximum droop distance, the prior stage including a support structure having intra-contour support for the smoothing surface, the intra-contour support decreasing the support-to-support distances to less than or equal to the maximum droop distance; and

a later stage of production, the later stage including the smoothing surface applied over the support structure.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein the determining and creating are based on a physical characteristic of a filament head intended to be used to apply the multi-stage filament.

3. The media of claim 1, wherein the smoothing surface includes multiple, multi-stage filaments.

4. The media of claim 1, wherein the 3D production model is further usable to control the filament-providing element effective to provide the smoothing surface and retain an intended dimension of the desired 3D object.

5. The media of claim 1, wherein the 3D production model includes use of parallel or non-parallel offset 3D printing in production of the support structure.

6. A controller configured to control a filament-providing element of a three-dimensional (3D) printing device, and the controller configured to perform actions including:

determining, using sensor data, whether a formed, physical, three-dimensional (3D) object includes an undesired surface characteristic;

identifying, responsive to determining that the formed, physical, 3D object does include an undesired surface characteristic and, using the sensor data, the undesired surface characteristic as a multiple filament-width flaw in each of three dimensions; and

correcting the undesired surface characteristic by applying, over the undesired surface characteristic, one or more filaments as a smoothing surface, at least one of the one or more filaments provided over the multiple filament-width flaw in at least two of the three dimensions.

7. The controller of claim 6, wherein the controller is further capable of causing the filament-providing element to alter a temperature of, or speed of application of, the at least one of the one or more filaments, the alteration effective to alter a flexibility of the at least one of the one or more filaments.

8. The controller of claim 6, wherein the provision of the smoothing surface provides the at least one of the one or more filaments over the multiple filament-width flaw in the three dimensions.

9. The controller of claim 6, wherein the sensor data comprises measurements of the 3D object including filament locations, angles, and widths.

10. The controller of claim 6, wherein applying the smoothing surface comprises applying multiple stages of filament.

11. The controller of claim 10, wherein the multiple stages of filament comprise a continuously applied single filament.

12. A three-dimensional (3D) printing device comprising:

a filament-providing element; and

a controller configured to;

determine, based on a desired 3D object to be created using the 3D printing device, a portion of a surface in which support-to-support distances exceed a maximum droop distance of a multi-stage filament intended to be used to create a smoothing surface on the 3D object; and

create a 3D production model usable to control the filament-providing element to provide;

a prior stage of production, the prior stage for the portion of the surface in which support-to-support distances exceed the maximum droop distance, the prior stage including a support structure having intra-contour support for the smoothing surface, the intra-contour support decreasing the support-to-support distances to less than or equal to the maximum droop distance; and

a later stage of production, the later stage including the smoothing surface applied over the support structure.

13. The 3D printing device of claim 12, wherein the determination and creation are based on a physical characteristic of a filament head to be used to apply the multi-stage filament.

14. The 3D printing device of claim 12, wherein the smoothing surface includes multiple, multi-stage filaments.

15. The 3D printing device of claim 12, wherein the smoothing surface includes a single multi-stage filament.

16. The 3D printing device of claim 12, wherein the 3D production model is further usable to control the filament-providing element effective to provide the smoothing surface and retain an intended dimension of the desired 3D object.

17. The 3D printing device of claim 12, wherein the 3D production module includes use of parallel or non-parallel offset 3D printing in production of the support structure.

18. The 3D printing device of claim 12, wherein the smoothing surface is applied in each of three dimensions.

19. The 3D printing device of claim 12, the maximum droop distance determined in filament widths based on a desired flexibility of the smoothing surface.

20. The 3D printing device of claim 12, wherein the intra-contour support comprises multiple non-parallel intra-contour supports.