Selective deposition modeling for forming three-dimensional objects

• Main Authors: ALMQUIST, THOMAS A, THAYER, JEFFREY S, BEDAL, BRYAN J.L, THAT, DINH TON, EARL, JOCELYN M, KEREKES, THOMAS A, HULL, CHARLES W, PANG, THOMAS H, SMALLEY, DENNIS R, FEDCHENKO, RICHARD P, MEROT, CHRISTIAN M, LOCKARD, MICHAEL S, LEYDEN, RICHARD N
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 07.06.2006
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; AUXILIARY PROCESSES IN PHOTOGRAPHY; CALCULATING; CASTING; CINEMATOGRAPHY; COMPUTING; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS; COUNTING; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY; i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL; INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS; LINING MACHINES; MAKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESSES, e.g. CINE, X-RAY, COLOUR,STEREO-PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESSES; PHOTOGRAPHY; PHOTOSENSITIVE MATERIALS FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC PURPOSES; PHYSICS; POWDER METALLURGY; PRINTING; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; STAMPS; TRANSPORTING; TYPEWRITERS; WORKING METALLIC POWDER; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

A three-dimensional object is formed by selectively depositing successive layers (14) of build material from a print-head (9) having a plurality of orifices or nozzles (10(1)-10(96)), such as an ink-jet type of print-head. The print-head (9) is moved (X-Y control) relative to a support platform (15) in a series of scans in the X-direction offset from one another in the Y-direction and possibly overlapping. The orifices (10(1)-10(96)) extend transversely of the scan X-direction and may be set at an angle (α) to it to control the resolution perpendicular to the scan direction. The platform (15) is movable relative to the print-head in the Z-direction for forming each successive layer (14). The build material is a flowable material and may be a radiation-curable material, such as an ultra-violet curable photo-polymer. The data according to which each layer is formed may be manipulated according to a selected build style to determine the selective activation of the print-head orifices.