Three dimensional printing method and three dimensional printing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020122402-A1
Application number	US-201916382207-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 12, 2019
Priority date	Oct 17, 2018
Publication date	Apr 23, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A three dimensional (3D) printing method and a 3D printing apparatus are provided. The 3D printing method includes: performing a voxelization operation on a space including a 3D model to obtain a plurality of voxels corresponding to the space; selecting a first voxel of the voxels including a first supporting point of supporting points; determining a first merge point of a plurality of merge points according to the first voxel, wherein the first merge point is located at a second voxel of the voxels; printing a first supporting member of supporting members according to the first supporting point and the first merge point.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A three dimensional (3D) printing method for a 3D printing apparatus, the 3D printing apparatus configured to print a 3D model and at least one supporting member which is used to support the 3D model so that the 3D model is formed on a platform, the supporting member connected to at least one supporting point corresponding to the 3D model, the 3D printing method comprising:
performing a voxelization operation on a space comprising the 3D model to obtain a plurality of voxels corresponding to the space; selecting a first voxel of the voxels comprising a first supporting point of the supporting point; determining a first merge point of a plurality of merge points according to the first voxel, wherein the first merge point is located in a second voxel of the voxels; and printing at least one first supporting member of the supporting member according to the first supporting point and the first merge point, wherein the first supporting member has a first sub-supporting member and a second sub-supporting member, a first end of the first sub-supporting member is connected to the first merge point, a first end of the second sub-supporting member is connected to the first merge point, and a second end of the second sub-supporting member is connected to the first supporting point.

2 . The 3D printing method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first supporting point comprises a second supporting point, wherein the step of determining the first merge point of the merge points according to the first voxel comprises:
determining whether one of the merge points is present in a first direction of a third voxel located in the space according to the third voxel at which the second supporting point is located; searching for the second voxel in a second direction in the space according to a position of the third voxel and determining the first merge point located in the second voxel when one of the merge points is not present in the first direction of the third voxel located in the space, wherein the second voxel is located in the first direction of a fourth voxel, and the fourth voxel comprises a third supporting point in the first supporting point; and searching for the second voxel in the first direction according to the position of the third voxel and determining the first merge point located in the second voxel when one of the merge points is present in the first direction of the third voxel located in the space.

3 . The 3D printing method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the step of determining whether one of the merge points is present in the first direction of the third voxel located in the space comprises:
performing the step of printing the first supporting member of the supporting member according to the first supporting point and the first merge point when one of the merge points are not present in the first direction of the third voxel located in the space and a fifth voxel having one of the merge points of the voxels is not found in the second direction in the space according to the position of the third voxel.

4 . The 3D printing method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the step of printing the first supporting member of the supporting member according to the first supporting point and the first merge point comprises:
determining whether a second end of the first sub-supporting member is connected to the 3D model or the platform; printing a first-type supporting tail at the second end of the first sub-supporting member so that the first sub-supporting member is connected to the 3D model through the first-type supporting tail when the second end of the first sub-supporting member is connected to the 3D model; and printing a second-type supporting tail at the second end of the first sub-supporting member so that the first sub-supporting member is connected to the platform through the second-type supporting tail when the second end of the first sub-supporting member is connected to the platform.

5 . The 3D printing method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein before the step of performing the voxelization operation on the space comprising the 3D model to obtain the voxels corresponding to the space, the method further comprises:
performing bounding box operation on the 3D model so that the 3D model is located in the space formed within the bounding box.

6 . The 3D printing method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein before the step of selecting the first voxel of the voxels comprising the first supporting point of the supporting point, the method further comprises:
generating the supporting point according to at least one initial supporting point located at a surface of the 3D model, wherein the supporting point is located in a normal direction of the surface, and the supporting point is away from the initial supporting point by a predetermined distance.

7 . The 3D printing method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first supporting member has a third sub-supporting member, a first end of the third sub-supporting member is connected to the second end of the second sub-supporting member, and a second end of the third sub-supporting member is connected to a first initial supporting point of the initial supporting point.

8 . The 3D printing method as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the voxels form a plurality of layers, a first layer of the layers comprises the voxel at which the first initial supporting point is located, the first voxel is located at a second layer of the layers, and the first layer is adjacent to the second layer.

9 . The 3D printing method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the step of searching for the second voxel in the second direction in the space according to the position of the third voxel and determining the first merge point located in the second voxel comprises:
determining whether a second merge point and a third merge point of the merge points are present in at least two of a plurality of extending directions of the position of the third voxel, wherein the second merge point and the third merge point are respectively located in the first direction of a fourth supporting point and a fifth supporting point of the supporting point; when the second merge point and the third merge point of the merge points are present in at least two of the extending directions of the position of the third voxel, the step of printing the first supporting member of the supporting member according to the first supporting point and the first merge point further comprising: printing the first supporting member in at least two of the extending directions of the position of the third voxel according to the second supporting point, the second merge point, and the third merge point, wherein the first supporting member comprises the second merge point and the third merge point; and when the second merge point and the third merge point of the merge points are not present in at least two of the extending directions of the position of the third voxel, the step of printing the first supporting member of the supporting member according to the first supporting point and the first merge point comprising: printing the first supporting member in the first direction of the position of the third voxel according to the second supporting point, wherein the first supporting member does not comprise the second merge point nor the third merge point.

10 . A three dimensional (3D) printing apparatus, comprising:
a platform; a print head, configured to print a 3D model and at least one supporting member which is used to support the 3D model on the platform, wherein the supporting member is connected to at least one supporting point corresponding to the 3D model; and a processor, configured to:
perform a v

Assignees

• Xyzprinting Inc
• Kinpo Elect Inc

Inventors

• Yang Shih-Chi
• Kuo Yao-Jen
• Tsai Shau-An

Classifications

• B29C64/40 Primary

  Structures for supporting 3D objects during manufacture and intended to be sacrificed after completion thereof · CPC title

• B29C64/393 Primary

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title

• B33Y50/02

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title

• B29C64/245

  Platforms or substrates (support structures intended to be sacrificed after manufacture B29C64/40) · CPC title

• B33Y30/00

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