Resin cassettes with liquid inhibitor beds to minimize ghosting during additive manufacturing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11446871-B2
Application number	US-202017038036-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2020
Priority date	Sep 30, 2019
Publication date	Sep 20, 2022
Grant date	Sep 20, 2022

Abstract

An apparatus for manufacturing an object from a light polymerizable resin includes (a) an carrier platform on which an object can be produced; (b) a resin cassette configured for carrying a light-polymerizable resin, said cassette including a light-transmissive window having a liquid inhibitor supply bed therein, said supply bed having an inlet and an outlet; (c) a light source positioned beneath said resin cassette and configured for projecting an enlarged image through said window; (d) a drive operatively associated with said resin cassette and said carrier platform; (e) a gas exchanger comprising a liquid side, a gas side, and an oxygen permeable barrier therebetween; said liquid side having an inlet and an outlet, with said supply bed inlet connected to said liquid side outlet, and said supply bed outlet connected to said liquid side inlet; (f) an oxygen carrying liquid in said liquid inhibitor supply bed and said gas exchanger liquid side; and (g) a pump operatively associated with said supply bed and said gas exchanger liquid side for circulating said oxygen carrying liquid therebetween; and (h) an oxygen gas source operatively associated with said gas exchanger gas side.

First claim

We claim:

1. An apparatus for manufacturing an object from a light polymerizable resin, comprising: (a) a carrier platform on which an object can be produced; (b) a resin cassette configured for carrying a light-polymerizable resin, said cassette including a light-transmissive window, said window having a liquid inhibitor supply bed therein, said supply bed having an inlet and a supply bed inlet and a supply bed outlet; (c) a light source positioned beneath said resin cassette and configured for projecting an enlarged image through said window; (d) a drive operatively associated with said resin cassette and said carrier platform and configured for advancing said carrier platform and said resin cassette away from one another; (e) a gas exchanger comprising a liquid side, a gas side, and an oxygen permeable barrier therebetween; said liquid side having a liquid side inlet and a liquid side outlet, with said supply bed inlet connected to said liquid side outlet, and said supply bed outlet connected to said liquid side inlet; (f) an oxygen carrying liquid in said liquid inhibitor supply bed and said gas exchanger liquid side; and (g) a pump operatively associated with said liquid inhibitor supply bed and said gas exchanger liquid side for circulating said oxygen carrying liquid therebetween; and (h) an oxygen gas source operatively associated with said gas exchanger gas side.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the carrier platform is removably coupled to the apparatus.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said oxygen carrying liquid is a non-aqueous, or organic, liquid.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said liquid inhibitor supply bed comprises a plurality of channels.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said window comprises a sandwich of at least top portion an intermediate portion, and a bottom portion, and said liquid inhibitor supply bed is formed in said intermediate portion.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , where said window bottom portion comprises glass, sapphire, quartz, or transparent aluminum (ALON).

7. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein said top portion comprises a polymer with a fluorophore dispersed therein.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein said intermediate portion comprises a second polymer layer comprising a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layer.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said window, said pump, and said gas exchanger are operatively associated with one another by a liquid flow circuit, said apparatus further comprising:
(i) a flow reversal valve operatively associated with said liquid flow circuit and configured to reverse the flow of oxygen carrying liquid through said liquid inhibitor supply bed; and/or
(j) a heater, a cooler, or both a heater and a cooler operatively associated with said liquid flow circuit and configured to heat and/or cool said oxygen carrying liquid; and/or
(k) a bleader valve or bubble trap operatively associated with said liquid flow circuit.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , said resin cassette further comprising a circumferential frame carried by and surrounding said window, wherein said pump and said gas exchanger are carried by said frame.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising a chassis operatively connected to said carrier platform, said light source, said drive, and said oxygen gas source, to which said chassis and said resin cassette can be removably mounted, with said oxygen gas source operatively associated with said gas exchanger gas side through sealable connectors.

Assignees

• Carbon Inc

Inventors

• Feller Bob E
• Price R Griffin

Classifications

• B33Y30/00

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

• B29C64/259 Primary

  Interchangeable · CPC title

• B29C64/232

  for motion along the axis orthogonal to the plane of a layer · CPC title

• B29C64/255

  Enclosures for the building material, e.g. powder containers · CPC title

• B29C64/129

  characterised by the energy source therefor, e.g. by global irradiation combined with a mask · CPC title