Apparatuses for three-dimensional printing

• US 9,962,767 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2016
• Issued: 05/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Velo3D, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Velo3D, Inc.
• Inventors: Buller, Benyamin, Lappas, Tasso, Mendelsberg, Rueben, Lappen, Alan Rick
• Primary Examiner(s): Evans, Geoffrey S
• Application Number:
  US15/374,821
• Publication Number:
  US 20170165792A1
• Time in Patent Office: 515 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/28 Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM]
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/36 of energy beam parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/47 characterised by structural features
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/68 Cleaning or washing
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/73 of powder
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/70 Gas flow means
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 2998/10 Processes characterised by the sequence of their steps
• 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 26/0869 Devices involving movement of the laser head in at least one axial direction
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/142 for the removal of by-products
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/144 the fluid stream containing particles, e.g. powder
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/1462 Nozzles; Features related to nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/342 Build-up welding
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/702 Auxiliary equipment
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 37/06 for positioning the molten material, e.g. confining it to a desired area
• 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: B29B 17/0005 Direct recuperation and re-use of scrap material during moulding operation, i.e. feed-back of used material
• 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 64/171 specially adapted for manufacturing multiple 3D objects
• 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 64/214 : Doctor blades
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/307 : Handling of material to be used in additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/35 : Cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/357 : Recycling
• 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 40/20 : Post-treatment, e.g. curing, coating or polishing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/02 : for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 70/00 : Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 : Products made by additive manufacturing
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 : Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

The present disclosure various apparatuses, and systems for 3D printing. The present disclosure provides three-dimensional (3D) printing methods, apparatuses, software and systems for a step and repeat energy irradiation process; controlling material characteristics and/or deformation of the 3D object; reducing deformation in a printed 3D object; and planarizing a material bed.

Claims

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

a platform configured to support a bottom skin layer of hardened material that is a part of the three-dimensional object, wherein the bottom skin layer is disposed above the platform;

a material dispenser configured to dispense a pre-transformed material towards the platform through an opening, wherein the material dispenser is disposed adjacent to the platform;

an energy source configured to generate an energy beam that transforms at least a portion of the pre-transformed material at or adjacent to the platform, wherein the energy source is disposed adjacent to the platform; and

one or more controllers operatively coupled to the material dispenser and the energy source, which one or more controllers are individually or collectively programmed to;

(A) direct the material dispenser to dispense the pre-transformed material at or above the bottom skin layer, and

(B) direct the energy beam to;

(I) transform the at least the portion of the pre-transformed material to form a first portion of transformed material at or above the bottom skin layer that comprises a second portion of transformed material, which first portion of transformed material at least partially overlaps the second portion of transformed material along a lateral dimension of the bottom skin layer; and

(II) increase a temperature of the second portion of transformed material under heating conditions sufficient to yield a target temperature value that is one or more of (i) above a solidus temperature of a material of the bottom skin layer and below a liquidus temperature of the material of the bottom skin layer, and (ii) at or above a temperature at which the material of the bottom skin layer in the second portion of transformed material plastically yields.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein a center of the first portion of transformed material is above the second portion of transformed material along a lateral dimension of the bottom skin layer.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first portion of transformed material is above the bottom skin layer along a direction perpendicular to the platform.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more controllers are individually or collectively programmed to direct the energy beam to increase the temperature of the second portion using a simulation.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the simulation comprises a thermo-mechanical simulation.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the simulation comprises a material property of the three-dimensional object.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the one or more controllers are individually or collectively programmed to direct the energy beam to increase the temperature of the second portion using a graphical processing unit (GPU), system-on-chip (SOC), application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), application specific instruction-set processor (ASIPs), programmable logic device (PLD), or field programmable gate array (FPGA).

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

a container configured to support a material bed comprising an exposed surface, a pre-transformed material, and a bottom skin layer of hardened material, wherein at least a fraction of the pre-transformed material is disposed above the bottom skin layer, wherein the bottom skin layer is part of the three-dimensional object;

an energy source configured to generate an energy beam that transforms at least a portion of the at least the fraction of the pre-transformed material to a transformed material as part of the three-dimensional object, wherein the energy source is disposed adjacent to the material bed; and

one or more controllers operatively coupled to the energy source, which one or more controllers are individually or collectively programmed to direct the energy beam to;

(I) transform the at least a portion of the pre-transformed material to form a first portion of transformed material at or above the bottom skin layer that comprises a second portion of transformed material, which first portion of transformed material at least partially overlaps the second portion of transformed material along a lateral dimension of the bottom skin layer; and

(II) increase a temperature of the second portion of transformed material under heating conditions sufficient to yield a target temperature value that is one or more of (i) above a solidus temperature of a material of the bottom skin layer and below a liquidus temperature of the material of the bottom skin layer, and (ii) at or above a temperature at which the material of the bottom skin layer in the second portion of transformed material plastically yields.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more controllers are individually or collectively programmed to direct the energy beam to increase the temperature of the second portion using feedback or feed-forward control.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more controllers are individually or collectively programmed to direct the energy beam to increase the temperature of the second portion using closed loop or open loop control.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more controllers are individually or collectively programmed to direct the energy beam to increase the temperature of the second portion using a graphical processing unit (GPU), system-on-chip (SOC), application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), application specific instruction-set processor (ASIPs), programmable logic device (PLD), or field programmable gate array (FPGA).

12. The system of claim 8, further comprising a material dispenser that is configured to form the material bed at least by dispensing a layer of the pre-transformed material generated by removing an excess of pre-transformed material from the exposed surface of the material bed using a gas flow and cyclonically separating the pre-transformed material from the gas flow.

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

a platform configured to support a target surface and a bottom skin layer of hardened material that is a part of the three-dimensional object, wherein the bottom skin layer is disposed above the platform;

a material dispenser configured to dispense a pre-transformed material towards the target surface through an opening of the material dispenser, wherein the material dispenser is disposed adjacent to the target surface;

an energy source configured to generate an energy beam that transforms at least a portion of the pre-transformed material at or adjacent to the target surface, wherein the energy source is disposed adjacent to the target surface; and

one or more controllers operatively coupled to the energy source, wherein the one or more controllers are individually or collectively programmed to;

(I) direct the energy beam to transform the at least the portion of the pre-transformed material at or adjacent to the target surface to a transformed material portion disposed above the bottom skin layer, and

(II) control at least one characteristic of the energy beam such that a temperature of the hardened material at the bottom skin layer below the transformed material portion is one or more of (i) above a solidus temperature of a material of the bottom skin layer and below a liquidus temperature of the material of the bottom skin layer, and (ii) at or above a temperature at which a material in the bottom skin layer plastically yields.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the transformed material portion comprises a melt pool.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more controllers are individually or collectively programmed to repeat (I) subsequent to (II).

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the bottom skin layer is below the transformed material portion along a direction perpendicular to the platform.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one characteristic comprises power density, cross sectional area, trajectory, speed, focus, energy profile, dwell time, intermission time, or fluence of the energy beam.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the pre-transformed material comprises a particulate material formed of at least one member selected from the group consisting of elemental metal, metal alloy, ceramic, an allotrope of elemental carbon, polymer, and resin.

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

a container configured to support a material bed comprising an exposed surface, a pre-transformed material, and a bottom skin layer of hardened material, wherein at least a fraction of the pre-transformed material is disposed above the bottom skin layer, wherein the bottom skin layer is part of the three-dimensional object;

an energy source configured to generate an energy beam that transforms at least a portion of the at least the fraction of the pre-transformed material to a transformed material as part of the three-dimensional object, wherein the energy source is disposed adjacent to the material bed; and

one or more controllers operatively coupled to the energy source, which one or more controllers are individually or collectively programmed to;

(I) transform the at least the portion of the pre-transformed material to a transformed material portion, and

(II) control at least one characteristic of the energy beam such that a temperature of the hardened material at the bottom skin layer below the transformed material portion is one or more of (i) above a solidus temperature of a material of the bottom skin layer and below a liquidus temperature of the material of the bottom skin layer, and (ii) at or above a temperature at which the material of the bottom skin layer plastically yields.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein during printing, the bottom skin layer is a first formed layer of (i) the three-dimensional object, (ii) a hanging structure of the three-dimensional object, or (iii) a cavity ceiling of the three-dimensional object.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the bottom skin layer intersects with a sphere of radius XY, wherein an acute angle between a straight line XY and a direction normal to an average layering plane of the bottom skin layer is in a range from about 45 degrees to about 90 degrees.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein during printing, the first formed layer of the three-dimensional object comprises auxiliary support features that are spaced apart by 2 millimeters or more.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the hanging structure of the three-dimensional object has at least one side that is disconnected from the three-dimensional object or a platform that is configured to support the material bed.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the hanging structure comprises auxiliary support features that are spaced apart by 2 millimeters or more.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the cavity ceiling of the three-dimensional object has at least one side that is disconnected from the three-dimensional object or a platform that is configured to support the material bed.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein the cavity ceiling comprises auxiliary supports that are spaced apart by 2 millimeters or more.