Accurate three-dimensional printing

• US 9,931,697 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2017
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Velo3D, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Velo3D, Inc.
• Inventors: Levin, Evgeni, Lappas, Tasso, Buller, Benyamin, Lappen, Alan Rick
• Primary Examiner(s): OCHYLSKI, RYAN M
• Application Number:
  US15/435,120
• Publication Number:
  US 20170239720A1
• Time in Patent Office: 411 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/12 by photopolymerisation, e.g. stereolithography [SLA] or digital light processing [DLP]
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/14 by jetting of binder onto a bed of metal powder
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/18 by mixing binder with metal in filament form, e.g. fused filament fabrication [FFF]
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/25 Direct deposition of metal particles, e.g. direct metal deposition [DMD] or laser engineered net shaping [LENS]
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/28 Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM]
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/32 of the atmosphere, e.g. composition or pressure in a building chamber
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/36 of energy beam parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/47 characterised by structural features
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/80 Data acquisition or data processing
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/44 characterised by the configuration of the radiation means
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/49 Scanners
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/90 Means for process control, e.g. cameras or sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 2998/10 Processes characterised by the sequence of their steps
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 15/0013 Positioning or observing workpieces, e.g. with respect to the impact; Aligning, aiming or focusing electronbeams
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 15/0086 welding for purposes other than joining, e.g. built-up welding
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 15/02 Control circuits therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/032 using optical means
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/034 Observing the temperature of the workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/04 Automatically aligning, aiming or focusing the laser beam, e.g. using the back-scattered light
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/0643 comprising mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/342 : Build-up welding
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/702 : Auxiliary equipment
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 1/001 : Rapid manufacturing of 3D objects by additive depositing, agglomerating or laminating of material selective deposition modelling of metallic powder B22F10/00; rapid manufacturing of 3D objects in general and in particular of plastics B29C64/00
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 17/0081 : Process control
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/153 : using layers of powder being selectively joined, e.g. by selective laser sintering or melting
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/386 : Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/393 : for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• 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 2105/251 : Particles, powder or granules expandable particles B29K2105/046
• 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: 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: Y02P 10/25 : Process efficiency

Abstract

The present disclosure provides three-dimensional (3D) printing methods, apparatuses, and systems using, inter alia, a controller that regulates formation of at least one 3D object (e.g., in real time during the 3D printing); and a non-transitory computer-readable medium facilitating the same. For example, a controller that regulates a deformation of at least a portion of the 3D object. The control may be in situ control. The control may be real-time control during the 3D printing process. For example, the control may be during a physical-attribute pulse. The present disclosure provides various methods, apparatuses, systems and software for estimating the fundamental length scale of a melt pool, and for various tools that increase the accuracy of the 3D printing.

Claims

1. A system for printing a three-dimensional object comprising:

an enclosure configured to contain a material bed;

an energy source configured to generate an energy beam that transforms at least a fraction of the material bed into a transformed material as part of (A) the three-dimensional object and (B) a physical marker, which three-dimensional object comprises a portion that is deformable, wherein the physical marker is connected to the portion, wherein the three-dimensional object is formed while considering a model of a requested three-dimensional object, wherein the physical marker is an addition to the requested three-dimensional object, wherein upon deformation, a position of at least a segment of the physical marker deviates, wherein the energy source is operatively coupled to the material bed;

a detector that is configured to detect the at least the segment of the physical marker, wherein the detector is operatively coupled to the material bed; and

at least one controller that is operatively coupled to the energy source and to the detector, wherein the at least one controller is individually or collectively programmed to;

(i) direct the energy beam to transform the at least the fraction of the material bed into the transformed material as part of (A) the three-dimensional object and (B) the physical marker, and (ii) evaluate, or direct evaluation of, a deviation from the position of the at least the segment of the physical marker detected with the aid of the detector, to produce a result.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one controller is individually or collectively programmed to use the result to control at least one characteristic of the (I) energy beam, (II) energy source, or (III) energy beam and energy source, to form an additional portion of three-dimensional object.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the at least one characteristic of the energy beam comprises dwell time, intermission time, speed, trajectory, cross section, footprint on an exposed surface of the material bed, fluence, focus, or power density.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the at least one characteristic of the energy source comprises power.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one controller is individually or collectively programmed to evaluate or direct evaluation in (ii) during the printing.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the physical marker is connected to the portion upon formation of the portion.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one controller is individually or collectively programmed to control the deformation using the result.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one controller is individually or collectively programmed to control the deformation by reducing and/or monitoring the deformation.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the physical marker is attached to the portion at a position of the requested three-dimensional object that is buried in the material bed.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the physical marker is attached to the portion at a position of the requested three-dimensional object that is buried in the material bed at least during the deformation.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the material bed comprises a particulate material.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the particulate material comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of a metal alloy, elemental metal, ceramic, allotrope of elemental carbon, and an organic material.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising a layer dispensing mechanism comprising a cyclonic separator, which layer dispensing mechanism is configured to planarize an exposed surface of the material bed during at least a portion of the printing.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one controller is individually or collectively programmed to direct the detector to detect the at least the segment of the physical marker.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the transformed material is part of an additional physical marker.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one controller comprises one or more computer processors that are individually or collectively programmed to perform (i)-(ii).

26. The method of claim 14, wherein the physical marker is attached to the portion that is deformable at a position of the requested three-dimensional object that is buried in the material bed.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the physical marker is attached to the portion at a position of the requested three-dimensional object that is buried in the material bed at least during deformation.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the material bed comprises a particulate material.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the particulate material comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of metal alloy, elemental metal, ceramic, an allotrope of elemental carbon, and an organic material.

30. The method of claim 14, further comprising planarizing an exposed surface of the material bed using a layer dispensing mechanism comprising a cyclonic separator.

17. A method for printing a three-dimensional object comprising:

(a) using an energy beam to transform at least a fraction of a material bed in an enclosure into a transformed material as part of (A) the three-dimensional object and (B) a physical marker, wherein three-dimensional object is printed while considering a model of a requested three-dimensional object, wherein the physical marker is an addition to the requested three-dimensional object, wherein the requested three-dimensional object comprises a portion that is deformable, wherein the physical marker is connected to the portion that is deformable, wherein upon deformation, a position of at least a segment of the physical marker deviates;

(b) using a detector to detect at least the segment of the physical marker; and

(c) evaluating a deviation of the position of at least the segment of the physical marker detected in (b) to produce a result.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising altering an instruction to generate an additional fraction of the three-dimensional object upon detection of at least the segment of the physical marker.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein detection of at least the segment of the physical marker is in real time.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein detecting is from a position outside the material bed.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the position is above the material bed.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein detecting comprises optically detecting.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein optically detecting comprises using an oscillating radiation comprising repeating projected areas of relatively low and relatively high intensity.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising detecting a deviation of the oscillating radiation.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein detecting the deviation is during the printing.