System And Method For Controlling Three-Dimensional (3D) Printing Using Measured Processing Effects

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018304540-A1
Application number	US-201815959966-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 23, 2018
Priority date	Apr 24, 2017
Publication date	Oct 25, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

Complexity of a geometry of a desired (i.e., target) three-dimensional (3D) object being produced by an additive manufacturing system, as well as atypical behavior of the processes employed by such a system, pose challenges for producing a final version of the desired 3D object with fidelity relative to the desired object. An example embodiment enables such challenges to be overcome as a function of feedback to enable the final version to be produced with fidelity. The feedback may be at least one value that is associated with at least one characteristic of a printed object following processing of the printed object. Such feedback may be obtained as part of a calibration process of the 3 D printing system or as part of an operational process of the 3 D printing system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An additive manufacturing method, the method comprising:
processing a three-dimensional (3D) object at a given processing stage that follows printing or follows a combination of printing and processing of the 3D object in a 3D printing system to transform the 3D object into a processed object, the processing including debinding or sintering of the 3D object; identifying a discrepancy between a characteristic of the processed object and an expected characteristic, the discrepancy identified based on a value associated with the characteristic; and adjusting a parameter based on the value, the parameter known to influence the characteristic and stored in a memory accessed by the 3D printing system, the parameter, in an adjusted state, being employed by the 3D printing system to affect its operating state that, in turn, produces a subsequent processed object with a corresponding characteristic closer to the expected characteristic relative to the characteristic of the processed object, the subsequent processed object having been processed by the given processing stage.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising printing the 3D object, iteratively, in successive layers and wherein the processing and adjusting are performed following iterations of the printing.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising de-binding or sintering the 3D object prior to the processing of the 3D object at the given processing stage.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the 3D object is a calibration object for calibrating the 3D printing system and further wherein the processing and adjusting are performed as part of the calibrating.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising obtaining the value by measuring the processed object.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the measuring is performed via a contact or non-contact measuring device, or a combination thereof

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the value is a measurement of a geometric characteristic.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the characteristic is a dimension or geometric feature.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the characteristic is a location or geometric attribute associated with a mark or feature printed on the 3D object for determining a processing effect based on measurements of the mark or the feature and wherein the value enables the determining.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the subsequent processed object is of a higher geometric accuracy than the processed object relative to a target geometry, the higher geometric accuracy based on a comparison of differences between the target geometry and respective geometries of the processed object and the subsequent processed object.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the characteristic is mass and wherein the value is a mass value.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the subsequent processed object is of a higher mass accuracy than the processed object relative to a target mass, the higher mass accuracy based on a comparison of differences between the target mass and respective masses of the processed object and the subsequent processed object.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the characteristic is chemical composition and wherein the value is a concentration of a chemical constituent.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the subsequent processed object is of a higher chemical composition accuracy than the processed object relative to a target chemical composition, the higher chemical composition accuracy based on a comparison of differences between the target chemical composition and respective chemical compositions of the processed object and the subsequent processed object.

15 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising triggering at least one action as a function of the value and wherein the at least one action triggered includes:
generating an alert to schedule maintenance of the 3D printing system; or signaling a malfunction of the 3D printing system.

16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising communicating the alert or malfunction via an operator interface or transmission of an electronic message to an electronic device communicatively coupled to the 3D printing system.

17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the alert generated or the malfunction signaled is based on the value and an expected value.

18 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the value is a first value and wherein the method further comprises:
obtaining a second value associated with the characteristic of the 3D object prior to the processing of the 3D object at the given post processing stage; and wherein the alert generated or the malfunction signaled is based on the first value and the second value.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the alert generated or the malfunction signaled is based on the first value, the second value, and an expected value.

20 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising obtaining the second value by measuring the 3D object prior to the processing of the 3D object at the given processing stage.

21 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the value is a measured value.

22 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
identifying atypical deformation in the processed object based on the value; and adjusting the parameter, automatically, based on the atypical deformation identified in order to obviate the atypical deformation in the subsequent processed object.

23 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the parameter includes at least one scaling factor associated with an x, y, or z axis direction, the at least one scaling factor employed by the 3D printing system to offset shrinkage of the 3D object due to the given processing stage and wherein the adjusting includes adjusting the at least one scaling factor to offset shrinkage of the subsequent processed object in the x, y, or z axis direction.

24 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the value is a first value and wherein the method further comprises:
obtaining a second value associated with the characteristic of the 3D object prior to processing the 3D object at the given processing stage; and wherein the adjusting includes adjusting as a function of the first value and the second value.

25 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the adjusting is further a function of an expected value.

26 . The method of claim 24 , wherein obtaining the second value includes measuring the 3D object prior to the processing of the 3D object at the given processing stage.

27 . The method of claim 26 , wherein the measuring is performed via contact or non-contact measuring device, or a combination thereof

28 . The method of claim 24 , wherein obtaining the second value includes obtaining the second value from (i) a 3D object model employed by the printing stage, (ii) the 3D object prior to processing of the 3D object at the given processing stage, (iii), the processed object or (iv) a combination thereof.

29 . The method of claim 24 , wherein the adjusting includes:
determining a difference between the first value and the second value; and adjusting the parameter based on the difference determined.

30 . The method of claim 29 , wherein the adjusting further includes:
comparing the difference determined to an expected value; and adjusting the parameter based on the comparison.

Assignees

• Desktop Metal Inc

Inventors

• Tobia Jay
• Tuncer Nihan
• Preston Aaron
• Fulop Ricardo
• Gibson Michael A
• Fontana Richard Remo
• Hart Anastasios John

Classifications

• G06F30/20

  Design optimisation, verification or simulation (optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30) · CPC title

• B22F12/90

  Means for process control, e.g. cameras or sensors · CPC title

• B22F10/28

  Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM] · CPC title

• B22F10/40

  Structures for supporting workpieces or articles during manufacture and removed afterwards · CPC title

• B22F12/22

  Driving means · CPC title