Printing a multi-structured 3D object

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10814549-B2
Application number	US-201515545956-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 30, 2015
Priority date	Apr 30, 2015
Publication date	Oct 27, 2020
Grant date	Oct 27, 2020

Abstract

In an example implementation, a method of printing a multi-structured three-dimensional (3D) object includes forming a layer of sinterable material. The method includes processing a first portion of the sinterable material using first set of processing parameters and processing a second portion of the sinterable material using a second set of processing parameters. The processed first and second portions form, respectively, parts of a first and second structure of a multi-structured 3D object.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of printing a multi-structured three-dimensional (3D) object comprising:
from layers of sinterable material to be thermally fused by applying energy absorbing fusing agent and radiation thereto, forming an internal core structure surrounded by an external shell structure;
applying a carbon black-based energy absorbing fusing agent and radiation to internal core structure layers to form the internal core structure; and,
applying a non-carbon black-based, colored, energy absorbing fusing agent and radiation to external shell structure layers to form the external shell structure.

2. A method as in claim 1 , wherein forming an internal core structure surrounded by an external shell structure comprises:
forming a first layer of sinterable material;
applying to the first layer, non-carbon black-based, colored, energy absorbing fusing agent, and radiation to form part of the external shell structure;
forming a second layer of sinterable material; and,
applying to the second layer, carbon black-based, energy absorbing fusing agent, and radiation to form part of the internal core structure;
wherein radiation applied to the first layer comprises radiation applied with at least one of, a lower intensity and shorter duration, than radiation applied to the second layer.

3. A method as in claim 2 , further comprising:
forming a third layer of sinterable material; and,
applying to the third layer, non-carbon black-based, colored, energy absorbing fusing agent, and radiation to form part of the external shell structure.

4. A method as in claim 1 , wherein:
the carbon black-based energy-absorbing fusing agent comprises a fusing agent having a first ink density; and,
the non-carbon black-based, colored, energy-absorbing fusing agent comprises a fusing agent having a second ink density.

5. A method as in claim 1 , wherein applying radiation to the internal core structure layers comprises applying radiation with at least one of, a higher intensity and longer duration, relative to the external shell structure layers, and applying radiation to the external shell structure layers comprises applying radiation with at least one of, a lower intensity and shorter duration, relative to the internal core structure layers.

6. A system for printing a multi-structured three-dimensional (3D) object comprising:
a support member receiver to receive a support for sinterable material;
a distributor receiver to receive a sinterable material distributor to provide layers of sinterable material that is to be thermally fused on the support; and
a multi-structure processing module to apply energy absorbing fusing agent and radiation to layers of the sinterable material to form a 3D object with an internal core structure surrounded by an external shell structure;
wherein applying fusing agent and radiation comprises, to form part of the internal core structure, applying a carbon black-based energy absorbing fusing agent and radiation to internal core structure layers of sinterable material, and to form part of the external shell structure, applying a non-carbon black-based, colored, energy absorbing fusing agent and radiation to external shell structure layers of sinterable material.

7. A system as in claim 6 , wherein applying radiation to the internal core structure layers comprises applying radiation with at least one of, a higher intensity and longer duration, relative to the external shell structure layers, and applying radiation to the external shell structure layers comprises applying radiation with at least one of, a lower intensity and shorter duration, relative to the internal core structure layers.

8. A system as in claim 6 , wherein the carbon black-based energy absorbing fusing agent comprises a fusing agent having a first ink density, and the non-carbon black-based, colored, energy absorbing fusing agent comprises a fusing agent having a second ink density.

9. A system as in claim 6 , further comprising a fusing agent distributor to selectively deliver fusing agent onto a portion of a layer of sinterable material, the multi-structure processing module to control the fusing agent distributor to deposit fusing agent according to an image pattern of a cross-section of the 3D object for the layer of sinterable material.

10. A system as in claim 9 , further comprising a detailing agent distributor to selectively deliver a detailing agent onto a portion of the layer of the sinterable material, the multi-structure processing module to control the detailing agent distributor to deposit the detailing agent according to a detail pattern for the layer of sinterable material.

11. A system as in claim 10 , wherein the fusing agent distributor comprises a first array of nozzles of a printhead, and wherein the detailing agent distributor comprises a second array of nozzles of the printhead.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Zhao Lihua
• Zhao Yan
• Ng Hou T

Classifications

• B22F12/60

  Planarisation devices; Compression devices · CPC title

• B22F12/53

  Nozzles · CPC title

• B22F10/40

  Structures for supporting workpieces or articles during manufacture and removed afterwards · CPC title

• B22F10/28

  Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM] · CPC title

• B22F10/38

  to achieve specific product aspects, e.g. surface smoothness, density, porosity or hollow structures · CPC title