Systems and methods for 3D printing with vacuum assisted laser printing machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11865767-B2
Application number	US-202318304222-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 20, 2023
Priority date	Aug 5, 2020
Publication date	Jan 9, 2024
Grant date	Jan 9, 2024

Abstract

Systems and methods in which a material or materials (e.g., a viscous material) are printed or otherwise transferred onto an intermediate substrate at a printing unit(s). The intermediate substrate having an image of material printed thereon is subsequently transferred to a sample building unit, and the image of material is transferred from the intermediate substrate to a sample at the sample building unit. Optionally, the printing unit(s) includes a coating system that creates a uniform layer of the material on a donor substrate, and the material is transferred from the donor substrate onto the intermediate substrate at the printing unit(s). Each of the printing units may employ a variety of printing or other transfer technologies. The system may also include material curing, heating, sintering, ablating, material filling, imaging and cleaning units to aid in the overall process.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a first printing unit configured to print a first image of a first material on an intermediate substrate;
a second printing unit configured to print a second image of a second material on the intermediate substrate on which the first image has been printed; and
a sample building unit configured to receive the intermediate substrate having the first image of the first material and the second image of the second material printed thereon and to transfer the first image and the second image from the intermediate substrate to a sample located in a vacuum chamber of the sample building unit.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an ultraviolet (UV) light source configured to cure portions of the first image and second image printed on the intermediate substrate during movement of the intermediate substrate having the first image and the second image printed thereon from the second printing unit to the sample building unit.

3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a heater configured to dry portions of the first image and second image printed on the intermediate substrate during movement of the intermediate substrate having the first image and the second image printed thereon from the second printing unit to the sample building unit.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an imaging system configured to image portions of the first image and second image printed on the intermediate substrate during movement of the intermediate substrate having the first image and the second image printed thereon from the second printing unit to the sample building unit.

5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an ablation unit configured to ablate portions of the first image and second image printed on the intermediate substrate during movement of the intermediate substrate having the first image and the second image printed thereon from the second printing unit to the sample building unit.

6. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a sintering unit configured to sinter portions of the first image and second image printed on the intermediate substrate during movement of the intermediate substrate having the first image and the second image printed thereon from the second printing unit to the sample building unit.

7. The system of claim 1 ,
wherein the first printing unit includes a first coating system configured to create a first uniform layer of the first material on a first donor substrate, and the first printing unit is further configured to transfer first portions of the first uniform layer of the first material from the first donor substrate onto the intermediate substrate, and
wherein the second printing unit includes a second coating system configured to create a second uniform layer of the second material on a second donor substrate, and the second printing unit is further configured to transfer second portions of the second uniform layer of the second material from the second donor substrate onto the intermediate substrate.

8. The system of claim 7 ,
wherein the first printing unit comprises a first laser-based system that includes a first high frequency laser configured to transfer the first portions of the first uniform layer of the first material from the first donor substrate onto the intermediate substrate, and
wherein the second printing unit comprises a second laser-based system that includes a second high frequency laser configured to transfer the second portions of the second uniform layer of the second material from the second donor substrate onto the intermediate substrate.

9. The system of claim 1 ,
wherein the first printing unit comprises one of an inkjet head system, a dispenser head system, an offset printer module, or a gravure printing module, and
wherein the first printing unit is configured to print dot-like portions of the first material directly to the intermediate substrate.

10. The system of claim 1 , where the first material comprises one of a highly viscous material, a solder paste or other metal paste used for printed electronics, a metal paste, a ceramic paste, a wax material, a polymer material or a mix of a polymer and a monomer material, a low viscosity material, a material that can be cured by ultraviolet (UV) light or by heating, or a material that can be dried.

11. A method, comprising:
printing, by a first printing unit, a first image of a first material onto an intermediate substrate;
printing, by a second printing unit, a second image of a second material onto the intermediate substrate on which the first image has been printed; and
transferring the first image of the first material and the second image of the second material printed on the intermediate substrate to a sample located in a vacuum chamber of a sample building unit configured to receive the intermediate substrate having the first image and the second image printed thereon.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising, while the intermediate substrate having the first image and second image printed thereon is being transferred from the second printing unit to the sample building unit, curing by an ultraviolet (UV) light source portions of the first image and the second image printed on the intermediate substrate.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising, while the intermediate substrate having the first image and second image printed thereon is being transferred from the second printing unit to the sample building unit, drying by a heater portions of the first image and the second image printed on the intermediate substrate.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising, while the intermediate substrate having the first image and second image printed thereon is being transferred from the second printing unit to the sample building unit, imaging by an imaging system portions of the first image and the second image printed on the intermediate substrate.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising, while the intermediate substrate having the first image and second image printed thereon is being transferred from the second printing unit to the sample building unit, ablating by an ablation unit portions of the first image and the second image printed on the intermediate substrate.

16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising, while the intermediate substrate having the first image and second image printed thereon is being transferred from the second printing unit to the sample building unit, sintering by a sintering unit portions of the first image and the second image printed on the intermediate substrate.

17. The method of claim 11 ,
wherein printing the first material onto the intermediate substrate comprises:
creating by a first coating system of the first printing unit a first uniform layer of the first material on a first donor substrate; and
transferring first portions of the first uniform layer of the first material from the first donor substrate onto the intermediate substrate, and

wherein printing the second material onto the intermediate substrate comprises:
creating by a second coating system of the second printing unit a second uniform layer of the second material on a second donor substrate; and
transferring second portions of the second uniform layer of the second material from the second donor substrate onto the intermediate substrate.

18. The method of claim 17 ,
wherein the first portions of the first uniform layer of the first material are transferred from the first donor substrate onto the intermediate substrate by a first high frequency laser of a firs

Assignees

• Io Tech Group Ltd

Inventors

• Zenou Michael
• Gilan Ziv
• Nesher Guy

Classifications

• B29C64/112 Primary

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

• B29C64/147

  using sheet material, e.g. laminated object manufacturing [LOM] or laminating sheet material precut to local cross sections of the 3D object · CPC title

• B29C64/188

  involving additional operations performed on the added layers, e.g. smoothing, grinding or thickness control (surface shaping B29C59/00; after-treatment of articles without altering their shape B29C71/00) · CPC title

• B29C64/223

  Foils or films, e.g. for transferring layers of building material from one working station to another · CPC title

• B29C64/245

  Platforms or substrates (support structures intended to be sacrificed after manufacture B29C64/40) · CPC title