Grayscale rendering in 3d printing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016136901-A1
Application number	US-201615006011-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 25, 2016
Priority date	Oct 14, 2011
Publication date	May 19, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An additive three-dimensional fabrication process uses multiple build materials with different optical properties (e.g., color, opacity) at different surface depths to achieve grayscale-rendered images on exterior surfaces thereof.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system for three-dimensional printing comprising:
a supply of two materials including a substantially opaque material and a substantially translucent material; an extruder controllable to selectively deliver one of the two materials; an x-y-z positioning system controllable to move the extruder relative to a build platform; and a controller configured to operate the extruder and the x-y-z positioning system to fabricate an object from the two materials, the controller including a processor configured to receive a digital image and to control delivery of the two materials in a manner that imparts a grayscale image of the digital image to an exterior surface of the object by selectively layering the substantially translucent material over the substantially opaque material such that the substantially opaque material is disposed at various depths beneath the exterior surface to obtain corresponding predetermined grayscale levels of the grayscale image.

2 . The system of claim 1 wherein the digital image is a digital photograph.

3 . The system of claim 1 wherein the digital image is a texture image for repeated instantiation on the exterior surface.

4 . The system of claim 1 wherein the predetermined grayscale levels includes three, four, or five grayscale levels.

5 . The system of claim 1 wherein the substantially opaque material is a black build material.

6 . The system of claim 1 wherein the substantially translucent material is a white build material.

7 . The system of claim 1 wherein the exterior surface is a z-axis top or bottom surface of the object.

8 . The system of claim 1 wherein the exterior surface is a sidewall of the object.

9 . The system of claim 1 wherein fabricating the object includes extruding successive layers of material in two-dimensional patterns derived from a computer model of the object.

10 . The system of claim 1 wherein the substantially opaque material includes a colored material having at least one of a red color, a blue color, and a green color.

11 . The system of claim 1 wherein the substantially opaque material includes a colored material having at least one of a cyan color, a magenta color, a yellow color, and a black.

12 . The system of claim 11 wherein the supply includes a third material having a color different from the colored material.

13 . A structure comprising a deposition from a three-dimensional printing process of multiple layers of at least two build materials, the structure including an exterior surface having a grayscale image comprising regions with three or more grayscale levels, each one of the three or more grayscale levels rendered using a different number and arrangement of layers of the at least two build materials, the at least two build materials including an opaque build material and a translucent build material, wherein the opaque build material is disposed at various depths beneath the translucent build material corresponding to each of the three or more grayscale levels.

14 . The structure of claim 13 wherein the at least two build materials include multiple overlaps of the opaque build material and the translucent build material in at least one region.

15 . The structure of claim 13 wherein the exterior surface is derived from a digital image.

16 . The structure of claim 15 wherein the digital image is a digital photograph.

17 . The structure of claim 15 wherein the digital image is a texture image for repeated instantiation on the exterior surface.

18 . The structure of claim 13 wherein the grayscale levels include three, four, or five grayscale levels.

19 . The structure of claim 13 wherein the opaque build material is a black build material.

20 . The structure of claim 13 wherein the translucent build material is a white build material.

Assignees

• Makerbot Ind Llc

Inventors

• Pettis Nathaniel B
• Mayer Adam G
• Buser Anthony James

Classifications

• B33Y50/02

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title

• B29C64/118

  using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM] · CPC title

• B33Y80/00

  Products made by additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B32B2307/40

  having particular optical properties · CPC title

• B32B2559/00

  Photographic equipment or accessories · CPC title