Apparatus and method for forming three-dimensional objects using linear solidification with travel axis correction and power control
First Claim
1. A method of making a three-dimensional object from a solidifiable material, comprising:
- moving a solidification energy source along a first direction;
progressively projecting solidification energy from the solidification energy source onto selected portions of the solidifiable material along a second direction while the solidification energy source moves along the first direction;
modulating the power provided to the solidification energy source to control the solidification power received by the selected portions of the solidifiable material along the second direction, wherein the step of modulating the power provided to the solidification energy source comprises providing a selectively switchable, variable amplitude analog voltage signal to a solidification energy source modulator, and the power of the solidification energy received by the selected portions of the solidifiable material onto which the solidification energy is projected is substantially constant along the second direction.
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Abstract
An apparatus and method for making a three-dimensional object from a solidifiable material using a linear solidification device is shown and described. The apparatus and method compensate for a non-orthogonal angle between the travel axis and scanning axis of a linear scanning device and also provide a substantially constant solidification depth along the scanning axis. In certain examples, a solidification energy control system is also provided to regulate the solidification power supplied to the solidifiable material by modulating the power supplied to the linear solidification device'"'"'s solidification energy source, examples of which include laser diodes.
43 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method of making a three-dimensional object from a solidifiable material, comprising:
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moving a solidification energy source along a first direction; progressively projecting solidification energy from the solidification energy source onto selected portions of the solidifiable material along a second direction while the solidification energy source moves along the first direction; modulating the power provided to the solidification energy source to control the solidification power received by the selected portions of the solidifiable material along the second direction, wherein the step of modulating the power provided to the solidification energy source comprises providing a selectively switchable, variable amplitude analog voltage signal to a solidification energy source modulator, and the power of the solidification energy received by the selected portions of the solidifiable material onto which the solidification energy is projected is substantially constant along the second direction. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification