Method and system for disposal of waste materials in additive manufacturing systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11001004-B2
Application number	US-201916360073-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 21, 2019
Priority date	Dec 21, 2010
Publication date	May 11, 2021
Grant date	May 11, 2021

Abstract

A printing system for forming three-dimensional objects, layer by layer is provided. The system includes inkjet printing heads, each printing head adapted to dispense one of a modeling material, a support material or a reusable waste material that comprises one or more materials that were previously discharged from at least one of the inkjet printing heads; a modeling material container; a support material container; a reusable waste material container and a leveling unit that removes surplus material from previously deposited layers, the surplus material being provided to the reusable waste container via a tube. In embodiments, the method comprises dispensing the reusable material to form a separate waste block adjacent to the three-dimensional object.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for forming three-dimensional objects, layer by layer, the method comprising:
generating image data that includes cross sectional layers of a three-dimensional object to be printed and of a support construction;
selectively dispensing, layer by layer, according to the image data, building materials and reusable material from different dispensing heads, to form said three-dimensional object and said support construction;
removing at least a portion of surplus material from the three-dimensional object and/or the support construction; and
depositing from a dispensing head not used for dispensing building materials or reusable material at least a portion of the surplus material removed from the three-dimensional object and/or the support construction and curing to form a separate waste block of the surplus material.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: applying radiation to at least partially solidify layers deposited on a printing platform.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
purging at least one of building material, support material, and reusable material from at least one dispensing head;
collecting material purged from the at least one dispensing head; and
conveying the material purged from the at least one dispensing head for re-use in subsequent dispensing layer-by-layer, wherein
the surplus material comprises the material purged from the at least one dispensing head.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: filtering and removing solid particles from the surplus material prior to depositing the surplus material.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: generating print data for depositing the waste block.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising dispensing building materials, support construction materials and reusable materials from separate printheads.

7. The method of claim 1 , comprising
depositing a layer having a first portion associated with the three-dimensional object and/or the support construction and a second portion associated with the waste block; and
leveling the first portion without levelling the second portion, prior to depositing a subsequent layer.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reusable material forms part of the support construction.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming the waste block separately and non-concurrently with forming the three-dimensional object.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming the waste block concurrently with forming the three-dimensional object and adjacent to the three-dimensional object.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the building materials and reusable material are photo-curable materials in a liquid form at room temperature.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the building materials are solid or semi solid at room temperature and are heated to become liquid to enable transfer to dispensing heads for deposition.

13. A printing system for forming three-dimensional objects, layer by layer, the system comprising:
dispensing heads for depositing building materials and reusable surplus material, to form layers of a three-dimensional object, and a support construction;
a different dispensing head for depositing surplus material not suitable for reuse including unpolymerized liquid components, as well as partly-polymerized or gel-like components and polymerized solid particles to form a separate waste block;
a curing unit for curing the layers of the three-dimensional object, the support construction and the separate waste block;
two or more containers that hold building materials for forming the three-dimensional object and the support construction;
a container that holds reusable material and provides the reusable material to a dispensing head for reusable material; and
a leveler that removes surplus material from previously deposited layers, wherein the reusable material includes surplus material collected from said leveler to be reused during formation of the three-dimensional object.

14. The printing system of claim 13 , wherein the one or more dispensing heads are one or more inkjet printing heads.

15. The printing system of claim 13 , further comprising a controller to control the formation of the three-dimensional object, the support construction and the waste block.

16. The printing system of claim 13 , further comprising:
a purge unit for purging clogged printing heads, and wherein said reusable material comprises surplus material collected from said purge unit to be reused during formation of the three-dimensional object.

17. The printing system of claim 13 , wherein a dispensing head for the waste block is adjacent a dispensing head for the three-dimensional object.

Assignees

• Stratasys Ltd

Inventors

• Teken Avraham
• Belocon Boris

Classifications

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B29C64/112

  using individual droplets, e.g. from jetting heads · CPC title

• B33Y30/00

  Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor · CPC title

• B29C64/106

  using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material · CPC title

• B29C64/357 Primary

  Recycling · CPC title