Method and apparatus for data manipulation and system control in a selective deposition modeling system

• Main Authors: THAYER, JEFFREY S, MANNERS, CHRIS R, MARYGOLD, PAUL H, EARL, JOCELYN M, KEREKES, THOMAS A
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 28.06.2000
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; CALCULATING; CASTING; COMPUTING; COUNTING; IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL; INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS; MAKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; POWDER METALLURGY; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; TRANSPORTING; WORKING METALLIC POWDER; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

A variety of support structures and build styles for use in rapid prototyping and manufacturing systems are described wherein particular emphasis is given to thermal stereolithography, fused deposition modeling, and selective deposition modeling systems, and wherein a 3D modeling system is presented which uses multijet dispensing and a single material for both object and support formation. Specifically described is the generation of data relating to the provision of support regions for objects formed on a layer-by-layer basis in which a Boolean difference (74) operation is used in comparing the extent of successive layers.