3D printing to obtain a predefined surface quality

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12030238-B2
Application number	US-201816957819-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 17, 2018
Priority date	Dec 31, 2017
Publication date	Jul 9, 2024
Grant date	Jul 9, 2024

Abstract

A method of 3D printing to achieve a desired surface quality on at least one surface of a 3D printed object comprising selecting a base surface having the desired surface quality; and printing the 3D printed object on the base surface, so that the desired surface quality is imparted to one surface of the 3D printed object during printing. The surface quality may be glassiness, roughness, smoothness and texture in general. Objects may thus be manufactured in which electronic components are integrated in or under a glass-like surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of 3D printing, the method comprising:
lining a tray of a 3D printing system with a base surface;
following said lining of said tray, placing electronic components at predetermined locations on said base surface,
printing layers of an object on said base surface in reversed order to build said object in a down-facing orientation, so that a surface property selected from the group consisting of smoothness, roughness, or texture of said base surface is imparted during said printing to a layer printed onto said base surface to form a top surface of said 3D object, wherein said printing comprises printing layers around and over said electronic components, such that said electronic components are integrated in said 3D object, and a surface surrounding said electronic components has said predetermined surface quality and
removing said object from said base surface to reveal said printed layer forming said top surface having taken said surface property from said base surface;
wherein said lining is executed before printing and said removing is executed after printing.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said base surface comprises one member of the group consisting of: glass, polyimide, anodized aluminum and polycarbonate.

3. The method of claim 1 , comprising printing a 3D object on said base surface with a photopolymer.

4. The method of claim 1 , comprising marking said predetermined locations on said base surface prior to said placing.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein said marking said predetermined locations comprises printing marks at said predetermined locations.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said placing is by a robotic arm.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein said placing is by a robotic arm.

8. The method of claim 7 , comprising identifying locations of said marks using a sensing system, and operating said robotic arm based on said identification for placing said electronic components at said marks.

9. The method of claim 1 , comprising identifying locations of said electronic components, following said placement, using a sensing system, comparing said identified locations to said predetermined locations, and issuing an alert signal when a mismatch between said identified locations and said predetermined locations is above a predetermined threshold.

10. The method of claim 1 , comprising identifying locations of said electronic components, following said placement, using a sensing system, comparing said identified locations to said predetermined locations, and adjusting computer object data describing said 3D object based on said comparison.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said 3D printing system comprising a roller which follows a path of a dispensing head dispensing material to form said layers and which removes excess material so as to straighten newly formed layers prior to formation of successive layers thereon, and the method comprises initially deactivating said roller during deposition of layers up to a height of a first layer deposited above a highest of said electronic components.

Assignees

• Stratasys Ltd

Inventors

• Menchik Guy
• Shitrit Yaniv
• Belocon Boris
• Sheinman Yehoshua
• Dikovsky Daniel

Classifications

• B29L2031/34

  Electrical apparatus, e.g. sparking plugs or parts thereof · CPC title

• B29K2995/0025

  Opaque · CPC title

• B29C64/393

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title

• B29C64/245

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

• B33Y80/00

  Products made by additive manufacturing · CPC title