Full color three-dimensional object fabrication

• US 9,643,362 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2013
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Amadio, Louis, Iverson, Kristofer N., McGatha, Jesse D., Jin, Yulin, Boettcher, Shanen Jon
• Primary Examiner(s): Everett, Christopher E
• Application Number:
  US13/910,958
• Publication Number:
  US 20140277661A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,434 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 64/118 using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM]
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/386 Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4099 Surface or curve machining, making 3D objects, e.g. desktop manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/49014 Calculate number and form of 2-D slices automatically from volume on screen

Abstract

The subject disclosure is directed towards technology managing three-dimensional object fabrication in full color. In order to transform the object'"'"'s model into an instruction set for a fabrication device, a fabrication manager computes color values corresponding to geometry within a later of the object'"'"'s model. After determining an amount of each colored material to deposit, the fabrication manager generates coordinated instructions configured to deposit a combination of colored materials according to the geometry and efficiently transitioning between colored materials during object fabrication.

Claims

1. In a computing environment, a method for transforming a three-dimensional model into instructions for a fabrication device, the method performed at least in part on at least one processor, the method comprising:

computing a color value corresponding to at least a portion of at least one partition of the three-dimensional model;

determining an amount of a colored material to deposit for a geometry corresponding to the at least one partition, the colored material corresponding to the computed color value;

defining a plurality of addressable units for the at least one partition as voxelized data based on the determined amount of the colored material for the geometry, the voxelized data including information corresponding to the geometry, the information corresponding to the geometry including color information, material information, lighting information, and texture information; and

generating an instruction set comprising coordinated instructions corresponding to a controller using the voxelized data to fabricate the at least one partition, the coordinated instructions comprising inserting a first colored plastic filament and a second colored plastic filament into a mixing chamber to generate the colored material, wherein the controller controls the fabrication device to fabricate the at least one partition.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the coordinated instructions further comprise:

instructions for moving a tool head according to at least one tool path;

instructions for depositing an appropriate amount of the colored material; and

instructions for transitioning between the colored material and a second colored material during color changes.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the lighting information includes at least one of luminosity values or reflection/refraction ratios, and further comprising:

adjusting the color value to produce at least one lighting effect based on the lighting information.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising identifying a color change within the at least one partition or a color change between one or more partitions of the three-dimensional model.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying areas of the geometry for depositing a transitional material.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

communicating an instruction of the instruction set to the fabrication device, the instruction configured to cause the fabrication device to identify a color change and deposit the colored material into at least one or more of the following;

a purge structure, a support structure, and an infill area.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the coordinated instruction set further comprises setting a positive rate or a negative rate for inserting the first and second colored plastic filaments into the mixing chamber.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the coordinated instruction set further comprises setting a positive rate or a negative rate for extruding the colored material through a nozzle.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the coordinated instruction set further comprises adding to the three-dimensional model one or more of the following:

a support structure and a purge structure.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein computing the color value further comprises generating instructions for mixing the first and second colored plastic filaments with a third plastic filament, the third plastic filament having a degree of transparency.

11. A fabrication device comprising:

a first mechanism comprising a set of movable components;

a second mechanism configured to deposit a colored material for fabricating a three-dimensional object;

a fabrication manager configured to generate instructions for actuating the first mechanism and the second mechanism, and further configured to identify a plurality of addressable units and define the plurality of addressable units as voxelized data, the voxelized data including individual information for an individual addressable unit, the individual information including color information, material information, lighting information, and texture information;

measure luminosity of the three-dimensional object based on an interaction of light with a surface of the three-dimensional object; and

a controller coupled to the first mechanism and the second mechanism and configured to receive the instructions from the fabrication manager and execute the instructions, wherein actuating the first mechanism causes the first mechanism to move according to a three-dimensional geometry, and wherein actuating the second mechanism causes the second mechanism to change the colored material corresponding to color values of the three-dimensional geometry.

12. The fabrication device of claim 11, wherein the second mechanism comprises a motor driven carousel supporting a plurality of vats, the plurality of vats comprising one or more vats for colored resins or resins of different properties and a cleaning vat for removing uncured resin from the three-dimensional object being fabricated.

13. The fabrication device of claim 11, wherein the second mechanism comprises a tool for managing ultra-violet light application duration and an intensity order to create a stippling pattern representing shades of color.

14. The fabrication device of claim 13 further comprising a control unit comprising the fabrication manager, the fabrication manager further configured to:

partition a three-dimensional model into layers;

decompose layers into the voxelized data comprising the color values; and

generate a coordinated instruction set corresponding to a mixture of colored materials and an application of the mixture when fabricating the three-dimensional object.

15. The fabrication device of claim 14, wherein the control unit is configured to generate instructions to cause the fabrication device to remove uncured resin from the three-dimensional object being fabricated using a spray or a dip with agitation.

16. The fabrication device of claim 11, wherein the second mechanism further comprises a chamber for blending colored materials into the multi-colored material.

17. The fabrication device of claim 16, wherein the second mechanism further comprises an extruder configuration comprising a head having a rifled nozzle.

18. One or more computer storage devices having computer-executable instructions, which upon execution perform operations comprising:

decomposing a layer of a three-dimensional model into a plurality of geometric elements;

defining a plurality of addressable units in the layer, including generating voxelized data for the plurality of addressable units, wherein a set of voxelized data for a respective addressable unit comprises a color value, a material value, a texture value, and a lighting value, wherein the addressable unit represents a minimum amount of a colored material capable of being deposited by a fabrication device on at least a portion of a respective geometric element of the plurality of geometric elements, the respective geometric element being associated with the respective addressable unit, the colored material comprising a combination of two or more materials;

storing the color value in respective addressable units; and

generating an instruction set for depositing the colored material represented by the respective addressable units, wherein the fabrication device uses the generated instruction set for the depositing of the colored material.

19. The one or more computer storage devices of claim 18 having further computer-executable instructions comprising:

generating voxelized data from a three-dimensional mesh model and texture information, including mapping each polygon face to the texture information, and mapping each vertex of a polygon face to coordinates within the texture information;

generating the voxelized data from lighting information; and

computing the color values using the voxelized data.

20. The one or more computer storage devices of claim 19 having further computer-executable instructions comprising:

converting the color values into a halftone pattern appropriate for resin curing properties.