Material manipulation in three-dimensional printing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018281284-A1
Application number	US-201815937778-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 27, 2018
Priority date	Mar 28, 2017
Publication date	Oct 4, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present disclosure provides three-dimensional (3D) printing systems, apparatuses, software, and methods for the production of at least one requested 3D object. The 3D printer includes a material conveyance system, filtering system, and unpacking station. The material conveyance system may transport pre-transformed material against gravity. The 3D printing described herein comprises facilitating non-interrupted material dispensing through a component of the 3D printer, such as a layer dispenser.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An apparatus for printing at least one three-dimensional object, comprising:
an enclosure comprising at least one wall that encloses a volume configured to accommodate a gas and the at least one three-dimensional object;
an energy source that is configured to provide an energy beam that transforms a pre-transformed material to a transformed material to print the at least one three-dimensional object, which energy beam generates soot during transformation of the pre-transformed material to the transformed material;
a channel configured to transport a first mixture that includes the gas, the soot, and the pre-transformed material which channel is operatively coupled to the enclosure;
a separator that is operatively coupled to the channel, which separator is configured to separate the first mixture to a second mixture rich in the gas and the soot, and a third mixture rich in the pre-transformed material, wherein the channel is configured to transport the first mixture between the enclosure and the separator; and
a collector comprising an inlet opening operatively coupled to the separator and configured to facilitate flow of the second mixture therethrough, which collector is configured to collect at least a portion of the soot from the second mixture.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a layer dispenser that dispenses a planar layer of the pre-transformed material to form a material bed in which the at least one three-dimensional object is printed, wherein the layer dispenser is configured to extract the first mixture that additionally comprises spatter generated during the printing.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the printing of the at least one three-dimensional object comprises a printing cycle, and wherein the collector is configured to collect the at least the portion of the soot from the second mixture at least during the printing cycle.

4 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the printing cycle comprises layerwise printing of the at least one three-dimensional object, and wherein the collecting in (d) is following each layer.

5 . The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising one or more sensors operatively coupled with the separator and/or the collector, which one or more sensors are operable to detect a characteristic of the soot, spatter that is generated during the printing, and/or the pre-transformed material.

6 . The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the characteristic comprises (i) a level, (ii) a volume, (iii) a flux, (iv) a chemical composition, or (v) any combination thereof.

7 . The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the one or more sensors facilitate controlling one or more apparatuses of the printing by considering output of the one or more sensors.

8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the one or more apparatuses comprises a remover that removes the first mixture by (i) attracting a gas and a material comprising the soot and the pre-transformed material into an internal volume of the remover and (ii) cyclonically separating the material from the gas in the remover.

9 . An apparatus for printing at least one three-dimensional object, comprising:
at least one controller that is operatively coupled to an energy source, a separator, and an inlet opening, which at least one controller is programmed to (i) direct the energy source to generate an energy beam to transform a pre-transformed material to a transformed material to print the at least one three-dimensional object and generate soot in an enclosure that encloses a gas, (ii) facilitate transport of a first mixture comprising the pre-transformed material, the soot, and the gas, to the separator, (iii) direct the separator to separate the first mixture to a second mixture rich in gas and soot, and a third mixture rich in (soot and) pre-transformed material, and (iv) facilitate collection of at least part of the soot of the second mixture in a collector.

10 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the at least one controller is operatively coupled to a layer dispensing mechanism, wherein the controller is further configured to direct planarizing an exposed surface of a material bed in which the at least one three-dimensional object is printed, which planarizing comprises extracting the first mixture that additionally comprises spatter generated during the printing.

11 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the apparatus comprises one or more valves and/or a compressed gas source coupled with the separator, the enclosure, and/or the collector, wherein the at least one controller is coupled with the one or more valves and/or the compressed gas source.

12 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the at least one controller is programmed to direct at least one valve of the one or more valves and/or the compressed gas source to facilitate the transport in (ii).

13 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the printing the at least one three-dimensional object comprises a printing cycle, wherein the printing cycle includes a layer-by-layer formation of the three-dimensional object.

14 . The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the at least one controller is programmed to facilitate the collection in (iv) following formation of each layer.

15 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the collection is from a remover that is configured to attract the first mixture during the printing.

16 . The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the at least one controller is programmed to facilitate at least two of the transport in (ii), the separation in (iii) and the collection in (iv) at least during the printing.

17 . The apparatus of claim 9 , further comprising the at least one controller operatively coupled with one or more sensors, which one or more sensors are configured to detect at least one characteristic of the soot the pre-transformed material and/or any spatter produced during the printing.

18 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the at least one controller is configured utilize a closed loop control scheme that is utilized in real time during printing of at least a portion of the at least one three-dimensional object.

19 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the at least one controller is programmed to facilitate adjustment to a rate at which the first mixture is transported to the separator.

20 . A method of printing at least one three-dimensional object, comprising:
(a) generating an energy beam to transform a pre-transformed material to a transformed material to print the at least one three-dimensional object in an enclosure and generate soot, which enclosure comprises a gas; (b) flowing a first mixture comprising the gas, the soot, and the pre-transformed material from the enclosure to a separator; (c) separating the first mixture to a second mixture rich in the gas and the soot, and a third mixture rich in the pre-transformed material (and may comprise soot); and (d) collecting at least part of the soot of the second mixture.

21 . The method of claim 20 , further comprising before flowing the first mixture, planarizing an exposed surface of a material bed in which the at least one three-dimensional object is printed, which planarizing comprises extracting the first mixture that additionally comprises spatter generated during the printing.

22 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the first mixture further comprises spatter, which spatter is a byproduct of transforming the pre-transformed material to the transformed material.

23 . The method of claim

Assignees

• Velo3D Inc

Inventors

• Elgar Yacov
• Brezoczky Thomas Blasius
• Lappen Alan Rick

Classifications

• B22F12/53

  Nozzles · CPC title

• B22F12/70

  Gas flow means · CPC title

• B22F12/41

  characterised by the type, e.g. laser or electron beam · CPC title

• B22F12/30

  Platforms or substrates · CPC title

• B29C31/085

  combined with positioning the preforms according to predetermined patterns, e.g. positioning extruded preforms on conveyors (B29C70/30 takes precedence; for building tyres B29D30/08) · CPC title