Additive manufacturing system and process with precision substractive technique

• US 9,950,474 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2013
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stratasys Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Statasys Incorporated
• Inventors: Batchelder, J. Samuel
• Primary Examiner(s): THROWER, LARRY W
• Application Number:
  US14/026,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20150076739A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,684 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/02 Small extruding apparatus, e.g. handheld, toy or laboratory extruders
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/265 Support structures or bases for apparatus, e.g. frames
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/266 Means for allowing relative movements between the apparatus parts, e.g. for twisting the extruded article or for moving the die along a surface to be coated
• 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 64/188 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 64/20 Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/268 using laser beams; using electron beams [EB]
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/286 Optical filters, e.g. masks
• 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

Abstract

An additive manufacturing system and process for producing three-dimensional parts, which includes forming layers of the three-dimensional part from a part material at a first resolution, and ablating selected voxels of the formed layers with a laser beam at a second resolution that is higher than the first resolution.

Claims

1. An additive manufacturing system for producing three-dimensional parts, the system comprising:

a platen;

an extrusion head configured to move a predefined path and deposit molten part material in a series of roads to form layers of the three-dimensional part that cools to a solid state at a first resolution onto the platen;

a radiation-emitting device configured to emit radiation sufficient to ablate a portion of the part material;

a masking unit configured to spatially modulate the emitted radiation towards the formed layers of the three-dimensional part to ablate selected voxels of the formed layers of the three-dimensional part at a second resolution that is higher than the first resolution; and

at least one controller configured to manage operations of the moveable head and the laser device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the radiation-emitting device comprises an excimer laser device.

3. The system of claim 1, and further comprising a scanner configured to scan the printed layers.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the scanner is incorporated into the radiation-emitting device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the additive manufacturing system comprises a housing, and wherein the radiation-emitting device is configured to reside outside of the housing.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the radiation-emitting device is configured to emit the laser beam pulses with an average power density ranging from about 0.01 J/cm², and about 10 J/cm².

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to adjust the spatial modulation of the masking unit.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the part material comprises a polymeric material.

9. The system of claim 1, and wherein the extrusion head comprises:

a liquefier having a tube; and

a nozzle attached to the tube at an end wherein the nozzle is configured to extrude the molten material in the series of roads.

10. The system of claim 9 and wherein the extrusion head comprises a heater positioned about the liquefier tube, wherein the heater is configured to impart heat into the part material to cause solid part material to melt within the liquefier tube.