Method of stereolithography fabrication and photo-curing photosensitive resin

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9862147-B2
Application number	US-201614991541-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 8, 2016
Priority date	Jan 12, 2015
Publication date	Jan 9, 2018
Grant date	Jan 9, 2018

Abstract

A method of photo-curing a photo-sensitive resin is disclosed in the present invention. The method includes the following steps: generating a sub-pixel pattern having an outer contour region and an inner contour region based on a vector file taken from a cross-section of a model; providing the sub-pixel pattern to a photomask module, wherein the photomask module includes a panel having a pixel matrix including plural square pixels, each of which includes three color-filtered sub-pixels; flood-filling color in each of the color-filtered sub-pixels to distinguish the outer contour region from the inner contour region; and exposing the photo-sensitive resin to a light source emitting a light passing through the panel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of curing a photosensitive resin, comprising steps of:
generating a sub-pixel pattern having an outer contour region and an inner contour region based on a vector file taken from a cross-section of a model;
providing the sub-pixel pattern to a photomask module, wherein the photomask module includes a panel having a pixel matrix including plural square pixels, each of which includes three color-filtered sub-pixels;
flood-filling color in each of the color-filtered sub-pixels to distinguish the outer contour region from the inner contour region; and
exposing the photo-sensitive resin to a light source emitting a light passing through the panel.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the color-filtered sub-pixels are addressable units.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the vector file is in Hewlett-Packard Graphical Language.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising a step of:
applying a polygon algorithm to adjust the outer contour region and the inner contour region.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the photosensitive resin has an absorption spectrum in the visible light region.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the light source is one selected from a group consisting of a point light source, a linear light source, a planar light source and a combination thereof.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the light source is a halogen lamp.

8. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising a step of:
providing an optical lens between the light source and the panel to focus an image of the inner contour region.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the optical lens is a Fresnel lens.

10. A stereolithography method for fabricating an article based on a cross-section of a model, comprising steps of:
providing a liquid crystal display photomask module (LCDLMM) having a pixel matrix including plural square pixels, each of which includes three addressable sub-pixels;
inputting a contour, simulating the cross-section, into the LCDLMM;
determining all the addressable sub-pixels inside the contour;
flood-filling color in each of the addressable sub-pixels inside the contour; and
forming the article based on the pixel matrix.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the article is formed by exposing a photo-sensitive resin to a light source emitting a light passing through the pixel matrix.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the light source is one selected from a group consisting of a point light source, a linear light source, a planar light source and a combination thereof.

13. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the light source is a halogen lamp.

14. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising steps of:
designing a three-dimensional CAD model according to the model;
transforming the three-dimensional CAD model into a data file; and
converting the three-dimensional CAD model into a file having a set of two-dimensional vectors perpendicular to a Z-axis.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the steps of designing the three-dimensional CAD model, transforming the three-dimensional CAD model and converting the three-dimensional model are performed prior to the step of providing the LCDLMM.

16. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the data file is a tessellated STL data file.

17. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the step of converting the three-dimensional model is implemented by using slicing software.

18. A stereolithography method for fabricating a layer based on a cross-section of a candidate object, comprising the steps of:
providing a transparent mask module having a sub-pixel matrix including plural addressable sub-pixels elements;
designing a contour, simulating the cross-section, into the sub-pixel matrix;
checking one by one whether each of the plural sub-pixels elements is located inside the contour;
flood-filling color in each of the sub-pixels inside the contour; and
forming the layer based on the sub-pixel matrix.

19. The method according to claim 18 , wherein the candidate object is life sized.

20. The method according to claim 18 , wherein the step of checking one by one whether each of the plural sub-pixels elements is located inside the contour is determined by a polygon algorithm.

Assignees

• Univ Nat Taiwan Science & Technology

Inventors

• Jeng Jeng-Ywan
• Shafikova Rimma
• Su Wei-Nien
• Hwang Bing-Joe

Classifications

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B29C64/286

  Optical filters, e.g. masks · CPC title

• B29C64/264

  Arrangements for irradiation · CPC title

• B29C64/135 Primary

  the energy source being concentrated, e.g. scanning lasers or focused light sources · CPC title

• B33Y50/00

  Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing · CPC title