System and method for finishing the surface of three-dimensional (3d) objects formed by additive manufacturing systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018099300-A1
Application number	US-201615290674-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 11, 2016
Priority date	Oct 11, 2016
Publication date	Apr 12, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system treats uneven surfaces of additive manufactured objects to improve the transparency and glossiness of the surfaces. The system operates a sprayer to apply fluid material used to form the uneven surface to the uneven surface to smooth the surface or the system operates an actuator to dip the additive manufactured object into a bath of fluid material that is the same as the material used to form the uneven surface to smooth the surface. A heater is provided to dry non-UV curable material applied to the uneven surface and a source of UV radiation is provided to cure UV curable material applied to the uneven surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system for treating surfaces of additive manufactured objects comprising:
a housing; at least one of a sprayer connected to a source of fluid material that is configured to direct drops of the fluid material towards a surface of an additive manufactured object and an actuator configured to lower the additive manufactured object into a reservoir containing fluid material and to raise the additive manufactured object from the reservoir, the fluid material in the source of fluid material or the reservoir being a fluid material that is a same material as the surface of the additive manufactured article; and a controller operatively connected to the at least one of the sprayer and the actuator, the controller being configured to operate the actuator to lower the additive manufactured article into the fluid within the reservoir and to raise the additive manufactured object from the fluid in the reservoir or to operate the sprayer to direct drops of the fluid material onto the surface of the additive manufactured object to apply the fluid material to the surface of the additive manufacturing object and improve the transparency or glossiness of the additive manufactured object.

2 . The surface treating system of claim 1 further comprising:
a heater positioned within the housing;
the controller being operatively connected to the heater, the controller being further configured to operate heater to dry the fluid material applied to the surface of the additive manufactured object.

3 . The surface treating system of claim 1 further comprising:
a source of ultraviolet (UV) radiation;
the fluid material in the fluid source or the reservoir is UV curable fluid material that is a same UV curable fluid material used to form the surface of the additive manufactured object; and
the controller is operatively connected to the source of UV radiation, the controller being further configured to operate the source of UV radiation to cure the UV curable fluid material applied to the UV curable fluid material of the surface of the additive manufactured object.

4 . The surface treating system of claim 1 further comprising:
a support positioned to place the additive manufactured object opposite the sprayer;
an actuator operatively connected to the support; and
the controller being operatively connected to the actuator operatively connected to the support, the controller being configured to operate the actuator to rotate the support as the controller operates the sprayer to apply the fluid material to the additive manufactured object.

5 . The surface treating system of claim 1 wherein the system includes both the sprayer connected to the source of fluid material that is configured to direct drops of the fluid material towards the surface of the additive manufactured object and an actuator configured to lower the additive manufactured object into a reservoir containing fluid material and to raise the additive manufactured object from the reservoir; the system further comprising:
a user interface operatively connected to the controller, the user interface being configured to identify a dipping or a spraying operation for treating a surface of an additive manufactured object and to identify whether the fluid material in the source of fluid material for the sprayer or the fluid material in the reservoir is UV curable fluid material;
a heater operatively connected to the controller;
a source of UV radiation connected to the controller; and
the controller is further operatively connected to both the sprayer and the actuator, the controller being further configured to operate the actuator to lower the additive manufactured article into the fluid within the reservoir and to raise the additive manufactured object from the fluid in the reservoir and to operate the sprayer to direct drops of the fluid material onto the surface of the additive manufactured object to apply the fluid material to the surface of the additive manufacturing object and improve the transparency or glossiness of the additive manufactured object, and to operate the heater to dry the fluid material applied to the surface of the additive manufactured object that is not UV curable fluid material and to operate the source of UV radiation to cure UV curable fluid material applied to the surface of the additive manufactured object.

6 . The surface treating system of claim 1 further comprising:
a source of solvent;
a pump operatively connected between the source of solvent and the sprayer; and
the controller is operatively connected to the pump, the controller being further configured to operate the pump to mix solvent with the fluid material delivered to the sprayer to decrease a viscosity of the fluid material before the fluid material is applied to the surface of the additive manufactured object.

7 . The surface treating system of claim 1 , the controller being further configured to:
identify at least one surface of the additive manufactured object that has a surface roughness greater than a surface roughness of another surface of the additive manufactured object, the surface being identified with reference to data of the additive manufacturing object geometry.

8 . The surface treating system of claim 7 , the controller being further configured to:
operate the sprayer to apply fluid material to the identified at least one surface only.

9 . The surface treating system of claim 8 , the controller being further configured to:
operate the actuator to lower the additive manufactured article into the fluid within the reservoir and to raise the additive manufactured object from the fluid in the reservoir before operating the sprayer to apply fluid material to the identified at least one surface only.

10 . A method for treating surfaces of additive manufactured objects comprising:
positioning an additive manufactured object within a housing; operating with a controller an actuator to lower the additive manufactured article into a fluid material within a reservoir and to raise the additive manufactured object from the fluid material in the reservoir; or operating with the controller a sprayer operatively connected to a source of fluid material to direct drops of the fluid material onto the surface of the additive manufactured object to apply the fluid material to the surface of the additive manufacturing object and improve the transparency or glossiness of the additive manufactured object, the fluid material in the source of fluid material or the reservoir being a fluid material that is a same material forming the surface of the additive manufactured article.

11 . The surface treating method of claim 10 further comprising:
a heater positioned within the housing;
operating with the controller a heater positioned within the housing to dry the fluid material applied to the surface of the additive manufactured object.

12 . The surface treating method of claim 10 further comprising:
operating with the controller a source of UV radiation to cure a UV curable material applied to a UV curable material of the surface of the additive manufactured object, the fluid material in the fluid source or the reservoir is UV curable fluid material that is a same UV curable material used to form the surface of the additive manufactured object.

13 . The surface treating method of claim 10 further comprising:
a support positioned to place the additive manufactured object opposite the sprayer;
an actuator operatively connected to the support; and
operating with the controller an actuator operatively connected to a support positioned to place the additive manufactur

Assignees

• Xerox Corp

Inventors

• Dufort Ron E
• Hoover Linn C
• Ruiz Erwin
• Kanungo Mandakini

Classifications

• B05D3/0254

  After-treatment · CPC title

• B29C2035/0827

  using UV radiation · CPC title

• B29C64/30

  Auxiliary operations or equipment · CPC title

• B05D3/067

  Curing or cross-linking the coating · CPC title

• B05C3/09

  for treating separate articles · CPC title