Networked three-dimensional printer with three-dimensional scanner

• US 8,747,097 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2012
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stratasys Incorporated
• Original Assignee: MakerBot Industries, LLC (Ultimaker BV)
• Inventors: Pettis, Nathaniel B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Del Sole, Joseph S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brown, II, David N
• Application Number:
  US13/556,368
• Publication Number:
  US 20120286453A1
• Time in Patent Office: 686 Days
• Field of Search: 425/131.1, 425/375, 264/40.1, 700/98, 700/118
• US Class Current: 425/375
• 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 50/00 Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
• 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: G06F 3/12 Digital output to print unit , e.g. line printer, chain printer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1203 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. print management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1226 Discovery of devices having required properties
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1229 Printer resources management or printer maintenance, e.g. device status, power levels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1259 Print job monitoring, e.g. job status
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/126 Job scheduling, e.g. queuing, determine appropriate device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1288 in client-server-printer device configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/603 controlled by characteristics of the picture signal generator or the picture reproducer

Abstract

Three-dimensional fabrication resources are improved by adding networking capabilities to three-dimensional printers and providing a variety of tools for networked use of three-dimensional printers. Web-based servers or the like can provide a single point of access for remote users to manage access to distributed content on one hand, and to manage use of distributed fabrication resources on the other.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional printer including a build volume, the three-dimensional printer comprising:

a three-dimensional scanner configured to capture three-dimensional information from an object being fabricated within the build volume during a print job executing on the three-dimensional printer;

a machine vision system configured to capture and analyze image content from the three-dimensional scanner, thereby providing a status of the print job executing on the three-dimensional printer;

a network interface configured to couple the three-dimensional printer in a communicating relationship with a data network; and

a web server configured to transmit the status of the print job for display at a remote client through the network interface.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the three-dimensional printer is a fused deposition modeling printer.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the three-dimensional printer is a stereolithography printer.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the web server is configured to host a remote user of the three-dimensional printer through the network interface.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the web server displays status information from one or more sensors of the three-dimensional printer.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the three-dimensional scanner obtains three-dimensional data using stereoscopic imaging.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the three-dimensional scanner obtains three-dimensional data using shape from motion.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the three-dimensional scanner obtains three-dimensional data using structured light techniques.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the machine vision system provides automatic inspection of the object being fabricated within the build volume.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the machine vision system provides a robotic guidance function for the three-dimensional printer.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the machine vision system provide a pass/fail evaluation of the object being fabricated within the build volume.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the machine vision system provides error detection for the object being fabricated within the build volume.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the machine vision system creates an audible alert when an error is detected.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the machine vision system creates a visual alert when an error is detected.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the machine vision system tracks actual progress of the print job against a predicted progress of the print job.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein the machine vision system compares an actual three-dimensional result in the build volume with an expected three-dimensional result based upon a source model.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the machine vision system is configured to abort a fabrication process of the three-dimensional printer upon detection of an unrecoverable error in the fabrication process.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the machine vision system is configured to detect a misalignment of layers.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein the machine vision system is configured to detect an unexpected surface hole.

20. The system of claim 1 further comprising a processor configured to respond to a remote request for status from the machine vision system.