Method and apparatus for printing three-dimensional (3d) objects

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018297287-A1
Application number	US-201615580129-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 7, 2016
Priority date	Jun 7, 2015
Publication date	Oct 18, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

Some embodiments of the invention may be related to a system and method of printing a three-dimensional (3D) object and a support construction for the 3D object. The system may include a printing unit and a supply system for supplying a body material and a support material to the printing unit. The system may further include a controller be configured to: generate 3D cross sectional digital data comprising a set of horizontal slices, to manipulate the 3D digital data to create a set of shifted slices by performing vertical shifts between body regions and support regions of a same horizontal slice to create printing digital data and to control the printing unit to deposit, in layers, the body material and the support material based on the printing digital data, wherein in a single scan, droplets of the support material and droplets of the body material travel different distances.

First claim

1 . A method of printing a three-dimensional (3D) object and a support construction for the 3D object, the method comprising:
generating 3D cross sectional digital data comprising a set of horizontal slices, wherein each of the slices includes one or more body regions representing a horizontal cross section of the 3D object, and at least each of some of the slices further includes one or more support regions being adjacent to the body regions and representing a corresponding horizontal cross section of the support construction; manipulating the 3D digital data to create a set of shifted slices by performing vertical shifts between the body region and the support region of a same horizontal slice to create printing digital data, wherein at least each of some of the shifted slices include a body region of one of the horizontal slices together with a support region of another one of the horizontal slices; and depositing, in layers, from printing heads, a body material and a support material based on the printing digital data, wherein in a same scan, droplets of the support material and droplets of the body material travel different distances.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein depositing comprises creating a region of the 3D object related to a particular horizontal cross section together with a region of the support construction related to a different horizontal cross section layer in the same scan.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a size of the vertical shift between the body region and the support region based on a geometrical relationship between the 3D object and the support construction.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the geometrical relationship is an angle formed between a surface representing the interface between the body regions and the support regions and the horizon.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein a higher angle requires a larger vertical shift.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the 3D cross sectional digital data further comprises a set of vertical columns, wherein each of the columns includes one or more slices of body regions representing a vertical column of the 3D object, and at least each of some of the columns further includes one or more slices of support regions being vertically adjacent to the body region and representing a corresponding vertical column of the support construction,
and wherein manipulating the 3D digital data further includes adding to each column a delay in the printing process between every vertically adjacent body region and support region.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
hardening the deposited body material and the deposited support material after at least some of the scans.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein each slice includes two or more deposition layers.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein,
manipulating the 3D digital data further comprises, creating vacancies in at least some of the slices such that after depositing all the layers both the 3D object and the support structure are at the same height, wherein in each vacancy no support material or body material is dropped.

10 . A system for printing a three-dimensional (3D) object and a support construction for the 3D object, comprising:
a printing unit comprising one or more print heads configured to deposit body material for forming the 3D object and support material for forming the support construction; a supply system for supplying the body material and support material to the printing unit; and a controller configured to: generate 3D cross sectional digital data comprising a set of horizontal slices, wherein each of the slices includes one or more body regions representing a horizontal cross section of the 3D object, and at least each of some of the slices further includes one or more support regions being adjacent to the body region and representing a corresponding horizontal cross section of the support construction; manipulate the 3D digital data to create a set of shifted slices by performing vertical shifts between the body region and the support region of a same horizontal slice to create printing digital data, wherein at least each of some of the shifted slices includes a body region of one of the horizontal slices together with a support region of another one of the horizontal slices; and control the printing unit to deposit, in layers, from the one or more printing heads, the body material and the support material based on the printing digital data, wherein in a single scan, droplets of the support material and droplets of the body material travel different distances.

11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the controller is further configured to control the printing unit to simultaneously deposit a region of the 3D object related to a particular horizontal cross together with a region of the support construction related to a different horizontal cross section layer.

12 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
determine the height of a vertical shift between the body region and the support region based on a geometrical relationship between the 3D object and the support construction.

13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the geometrical relationship is an angle formed between a surface representing the interface between the body region and the support region and horizon.

14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein a higher angle requires a higher vertical shift.

15 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the 3D cross sectional digital data further comprises a set of vertical columns, wherein each of the columns includes one or more slices of body regions representing a vertical column of the 3D object, and at least each of some of the columns further includes one or more slices of support regions being vertically adjacent to the body region and representing a corresponding vertical column of the support construction,
and wherein manipulating the 3D digital data further includes adding to each column a delay in the printing process between every vertically adjacent body region and support region.

16 . The system of claim 10 , wherein:
the printing unit further includes one or more hardening devices, and wherein the controller is further configured to control the one or more hardening devices to harden the deposited body material and support material deposited after each scan.

17 . The system of claim 10 , wherein each slice includes two or more deposition layers.

18 . The system of claim 10 , further comprising:
a fabrication platform for carrying the printed material.

Assignees

• Stratasys Ltd

Inventors

• Dikovsky Daniel
• Napadensky Eduardo
• Hirsch Shai
• Levin Evgeni
• Bressler Yoav

Classifications

• 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

• B29C64/393 Primary

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title

• B33Y30/00

  Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor · CPC title

• B29C64/112 Primary

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

• B33Y50/02

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title