Printer warming device control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10953599-B2
Application number	US-201616092690-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 12, 2016
Priority date	May 12, 2016
Publication date	Mar 23, 2021
Grant date	Mar 23, 2021

Abstract

According to an example, a printer may include a warming device to apply energy onto a region of a plurality of regions of a layer of build materials. The printer may also include a controller that may calculate, based upon the region upon which the warming device is to apply energy, an energy curve to be applied to the warming device between occurrences of a plurality of events, in which the energy curve defines timings and levels at which the warming device is to be operated between occurrences of the plurality of events. The controller may also control the warming device to be operated to apply energy onto the region according to the calculated energy curve.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printer comprising:
a plurality of warming devices to apply energy onto a plurality of regions of a layer of build materials between occurrences of a plurality of events;
a controller to:
calculate a first energy curve for a first warming device of the plurality of warming devices and a second energy curve for a second warming device of the plurality of warming devices, wherein the first energy curve defines timings and levels at which the first warming device is to be operated to apply energy onto a first region of the plurality of regions to maintain a temperature of the first region within a predetermined temperature range without causing the build materials in the first region to fuse together, and wherein the second energy curve defines timings and levels at which the second warming device is to be operated to apply energy onto a second region of the plurality of regions to maintain a temperature of the second region within the predetermined temperature range without causing the build materials in the second region to fuse together; and
control the first warming device and the second warming device to be operated to apply energy onto the first region and the second region, respectively, according to the first energy curve and the second energy curve.

2. The printer according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is to calculate the first energy curve and the second energy curve from a master energy curve, and wherein the master energy curve defines timings and levels at which a control warming device is to be operated to apply energy onto the build materials in a control region to maintain the build materials in the control region within the predetermined temperature range without causing the build materials in the control region to fuse together.

3. The printer according to claim 2 , wherein the master energy curve is generated based upon an input temperature of the build materials, a heat capacity of the build materials, a thickness of the build materials, or a thermal conductivity of the build materials.

4. The printer according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is to calculate the first energy curve and the second energy curve to be applied to the first warming device and the second warming device from one of a first master energy curve and a second master energy curve, wherein the first master energy curve corresponds to a first selected print mode and the second master energy curve corresponds to a second selected print mode.

5. The printer according to claim 1 ,
wherein a pair of the plurality of events occur over a first time interval over the first region and between a second time interval over the second region, and wherein the first energy curve includes a same amount total energy over the first time interval as the second energy curve over the second time interval.

6. The printer according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of events comprise a recoater movement operation and a fusing radiation application operation.

7. The printer according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of events comprise a lapse of a first time period and a lapse of a second time period.

8. The printer according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is to calculate the first energy curve for the first warming device and the second energy curve for the second warming device to be operated in a first print mode, and wherein the controller is further to:
calculate the first energy curve for the first warming device and the second energy curve for the second warming device to be operated in a second print mode;
identify whether the first print mode or the second print mode has been selected; and
control the first warming device and the second warming device to be operated based upon whether the first print mode or the second print mode has been selected.

9. A method comprising:
accessing, by a controller, a master energy curve, wherein the master energy curve defines timings and levels at which a control warming device is to apply energy onto a control region of a plurality of regions of a layer of build materials to maintain a temperature of the control region within a predetermined temperature range between occurrences of a plurality of events without causing the build materials in the control region to fuse together;
calculating, by the controller, a first energy curve for a first warming device of a plurality of warming devices from the accessed master energy curve, wherein the first energy curve defines timings and levels at which the first warming device is to be operated to apply energy onto a first region of the plurality of regions to maintain a temperature of the first region within the predetermined temperature range without causing the build materials in the first region to fuse together;
calculating, by the controller, a second energy curve for a second warming device of the plurality of warming devices from the accessed master energy curve, wherein the second energy curve defines timings and levels at which the second warming device is to be operated to apply energy onto a second region of the plurality of regions to maintain a temperature of the second region within the predetermined temperature range without causing the build materials in the second region to fuse together; and
controlling, by the controller, the first warming device and the second warming device to be operated to apply energy onto the first region and the second region, respectively, according to the first energy curve and the second energy curve.

10. The method according to claim 9 ,
wherein the plurality of events comprise a first event and a second event, at least one of the first event and the second event occurring at a different time for each of the plurality of regions, and wherein calculating the first energy curve for the first warming device and calculating the second energy curve for the second warming device further comprises calculating different energy curves for the first warming device and the second warming device.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein calculating different energy curves for the first warming device and the second warming device further comprises calculating different energy curves that result in application of a same total amount of energy onto the first region and the second region upon which the first warming device and the second warming device apply energy over different time intervals between the occurrences of the first event and the second event.

12. The method according to claim 9 , wherein calculating the first energy curve for the first warming device further comprises:
calculating the first energy curve by adapting the master energy curve based upon predicted temperature changes at the first region during a layer processing operation that includes the occurrences of the plurality of events.

13. The method according to claim 9 , wherein accessing the master energy curve further comprises accessing one of a first master energy curve and a second master energy curve, and wherein calculating the first energy curve further comprises calculating the first energy curve from the accessed one of the first master energy curve and the second master energy curve, wherein the first master energy curve corresponds to a first selected print mode and the second master energy curve corresponds to a second selected print mode.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium on which is stored machine readable instructions that when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
calculate, based upon a first region of a plurality of regions on a layer of build materials upon which a first warming device is

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Development Co

Inventors

• Vilajosana Xavier
• De Pena Alejandro Manuel
• Cortes I Herms Sebastia

Classifications

• B33Y50/02 Primary

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title

• B29C64/264

  Arrangements for irradiation · CPC title

• B29C64/393

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title

• B29C64/165

  using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder, catalyst, inhibitor or energy absorber · CPC title

• B29C64/268 Primary

  using laser beams; using electron beams [EB] · CPC title