Three-dimensional printed part removal using an interlaced platen

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9884449-B2
Application number	US-201514677233-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 2, 2015
Priority date	Apr 2, 2015
Publication date	Feb 6, 2018
Grant date	Feb 6, 2018

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a three-dimensional object operates a platen configured to facilitate the release of objects produced by a three-dimensional object printer. The method includes moving a first plate and a second plate to form a platen, the first plate having a plurality of parallel members and the second plate having a plurality of parallel members, the first plate and the second plate being moved to interlock the plurality of parallel members of the first plate with the plurality of parallel members of the second plate to form the platen, at least one of the first plate and the second plate being independently movable. At least one of the first plate and second plate is moved to release a three-dimensional object formed by the printer from the platen.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a three-dimensional object comprising:
operating at least one actuator with a controller to move a first plate with reference to a second plate to form a platen, the first plate having a plurality of parallel members and the second plate having a plurality of parallel members, the first plate being moved with reference to the second plate to interlock the plurality of parallel members of the first plate with the plurality of parallel members of the second plate to form the platen, the first plate being independently movable with reference to the second plate;
operating a plurality of ejectors with a controller to eject drops of material towards the platen and form layers of material with reference to digital image data of a three-dimensional object to produce the three-dimensional object on the platen;
operating the at least one actuator with the controller to move the first plate in a first direction that is normal to a surface of the platen while the second plate remains stationary;
operating the at least one actuator with the controller to move the first plate in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction while the second plate remains stationary; and
operating the at least one actuator to pivot the first plate about an axis that is parallel to the surface of the platen and perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of each of the plurality of parallel members to release the three-dimensional object from the platen from the pivoted first plate.

2. The method of claim 1 , the operation of the at least one actuator to move the first plate further comprising:
operating a heater with the controller to heat at least one of the first plate and the second plate.

3. The method of claim 1 , the operation of the plurality of ejectors further comprising:
operating a first plurality of ejectors with the controller to eject wax onto the platen to form a wax base on the platen; and
operating a second plurality of ejectors with the controller to eject material onto the wax base to form the three-dimensional object, the wax base having a footprint that is larger than a footprint of the three-dimensional object.

4. A printer for manufacturing a three-dimensional object comprising:
a plurality of ejectors configured to eject drops of material;
a first plate having a plurality of parallel members;
a second plate having a plurality of parallel members;
at least one actuator operatively connected to the first plate; and
a controller operatively connected to the at least one actuator and the plurality of ejectors, the controller being configured to:
operate the at least one actuator to move the first plate with reference to the second plate to interlock the plurality of parallel members of the first plate with the plurality of parallel members of the second plate to form a platen;
operate the plurality of ejectors to eject the drops of material towards the platen and form layers of material with reference to digital image data of a three-dimensional object to produce the three-dimensional object on the platen;
operate the at least one actuator to move the first plate in a first direction that is normal to a surface of the platen while the second plate remains stationary;
operate the at least one actuator with the controller to move the first plate in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction while the second plate remains stationary; and
operate the at least one actuator to pivot the first plate about an axis that is parallel to the surface of the platen and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of each of the plurality of parallel members to release the three-dimensional object from the platen from the pivoted first plate.

5. The printer of claim 4 further comprising:
a heater operatively connected to one of the first plate and the second plate; and
the controller being operatively connected to the heater and the controller being further configured to:
operate the heater to heat at least one of the first plate and the second plate.

6. The printer of claim 4 , the controller being further configured to:
operate a first group of ejectors in the plurality of ejectors to eject wax onto the platen to form a wax base on the platen; and
operate a second group of ejectors in the plurality of ejectors to eject material onto the wax base to form the three-dimensional object, the wax base having a footprint that is larger than a footprint of the three-dimensional object.

Assignees

• Xerox Corp

Inventors

• Robles Flores Eliud
• Anderson Jr Robert B
• Foley Timothy P

Classifications

• B29C64/112 Primary

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

• B33Y50/00

  Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B29C64/393

  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

• B29L2031/00

  Other particular articles · CPC title