Method of printing a contoured object using color and structural layers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11155035-B2
Application number	US-201916696610-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 26, 2019
Priority date	May 31, 2016
Publication date	Oct 26, 2021
Grant date	Oct 26, 2021

Abstract

A method of printing a three-dimensional color object having a contoured surface onto a substrate includes printing color ink layers and structural ink layers. A color ink layer is printed onto the substrate. Structural ink layers are printed onto the color ink layer to build the three-dimensional shape of the object. The contoured surface is formed from varying the heights of pixel columns in the printing information. The heights of the pixel columns may be varied by printing different numbers of layers in adjacent columns or by printing the same number of layers in adjacent columns where some pixels in a column have different thicknesses than other pixels in the column.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of printing a three-dimensional object onto a base using a printing system, the method comprising:
receiving at the printing system:
a first target thickness for a first region of the three-dimensional object;
a predefined first structural layer thickness for a printed layer; and
color layer information for each of a first color layer and a second color layer;

receiving the base at the printing system;
calculating a number of first structural layers to be printed to achieve the first target thickness for the first region based on the predefined first structural layer thickness;
printing the first color layer onto the base using the received color layer information for the first color layer;
printing a first set of structural layers onto the first color layer, a number of layers in the first set of structural layers in the first region being equal to the calculated number of first structural layers and each layer in the first set of structural layers having the predefined first structural layer thickness; and
printing the second color layer onto the first set of structural layers using the received color layer information for the second color layer;
wherein a second set of structural layers in a second region that is adjacent to the first region is printed onto the first color layer adjacent the first set of structural layers to achieve a second target thickness that is different than the first target thickness while having the same number of layers as the first set of structural layers;
the method further comprising receiving the second target thickness for the second region at the printing system, printing the second set of structural layers onto the first color layer in the second region to achieve the second target thickness for the second region, and printing the second color layer onto the second set of structural layers using the received color layer information for the second color layer;
wherein the first and second sets of structural layers in the first and second regions are arranged to collectively form an upper surface having a surface contour; and
wherein the first and second sets of structural layers and the second color layer are at least partially transparent, such that light reflected from the first color layer passing through the first and second sets of structural layers and through the second color layer creates a three-dimensional visual effect that is based at least in part on the first and second target thicknesses.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising printing one or more transparent layers onto the second color layer.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein each layer of the one or more transparent layers has a thickness that is equal to the predefined first structural layer thickness.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first color layer is printed so that a thickness of the first color layer may be visible at certain viewing angles.

5. A method of printing a three-dimensional object onto a base using a printing system, the method comprising:
receiving at the printing system:
a first target thickness for a first region of the three-dimensional object;
a predefined number of structural layers to be printed; and
color layer information for each of a first color layer and a second color layer;

receiving the base at the printing system;
calculating a structural layer thickness for a printed layer to be printed to achieve a target thickness for the first region using the first target thickness and the predefined number of structural layers;
printing the first color layer onto the base using the received color layer information for the first color layer;
printing a first set of structural layers onto the first color layer, a number of layers in the first set of structural layers being equal to the predefined number of structural layers and each layer in the first set of structural layers in the first region having the calculated structural layer thickness; and
printing the second color layer onto the first set of structural layers using the received color layer information for the second color layer;
wherein a second set of structural layers in a second region that is adjacent to the first region is printed onto the first color layer to achieve a second target thickness that is different than the first target thickness;
the method further comprising receiving the second target thickness for the second region at the printing system, printing the second set of structural layers in the second region to achieve the second target thickness for the second region, and printing the second color layer onto the second set of structure layers;
wherein a number of layers in the second set of structural layers is also equal to the predefined number of structural layers;
wherein the sets of structural layers in the first region and the second region are arranged to collectively form an upper surface having a surface contour; and
wherein the first and second sets of structural layers and the second color layer are at least partially transparent, such that light reflected from the first color layer passing through the first and second sets of structural layers and through the second color layer creates a three-dimensional visual effect that is based at least in part on the first and second target thicknesses.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein a combination of the first color layer, the first set of structural layers, and the second color layer has a thickness that is equal to the first target thickness.

7. The method of claim 5 , further comprising printing one or more transparent layers onto the second color layer.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein a combination of the first color layer, the first set of structural layers, the second color layer, and the one or more transparent layers has a thickness that is equal to the first target thickness.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein a combination of the one or more transparent layers is printed having a thickness that is less than a combined thickness of the first set of structural layers.

10. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first color layer is printed so that a thickness of the first color layer may be visible at certain viewing angles.

11. A method of printing a three-dimensional object onto a base using a printing system, the method comprising:
receiving at the printing system:
a first target thickness for a first region of the object;
a second target thickness for a second region of the object; and
color layer information;

receiving the base at the printing system;
printing a first color layer onto the base using the color layer information;
printing first and second sets of structural layers onto the first color layer, the first set of structural layers in the first region being printed to achieve the first target thickness for the first region and the second set of structural layers in the second region being printed to achieve the second target thickness for the second region that is different than the first target thickness for the first region while having the same number of layers as the first set of structural layers;
printing a second color layer onto the first and second sets of structural layers using the color layer information; and
printing a transparent layer onto the second color layer;
wherein the first region is adjacent to the second region so that the first and second sets of structural layers in the first and second regions are arranged to collectively form an upper surface having a surface contour; and
wherein the first and second sets of structural layers and the second color layer are at least partially transparent, such tha

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Miller Todd W
• Manville Laurel

Classifications

• B29C70/74 Primary

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• B29C70/747

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