Additive manufacturing system and process with precision substractive technique

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9950474-B2
Application number	US-201314026704-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 13, 2013
Priority date	Sep 13, 2013
Publication date	Apr 24, 2018
Grant date	Apr 24, 2018

Abstract

An additive manufacturing system and process for producing three-dimensional parts, which includes forming layers of the three-dimensional part from a part material at a first resolution, and ablating selected voxels of the formed layers with a laser beam at a second resolution that is higher than the first resolution.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An additive manufacturing system for producing three-dimensional parts, the system comprising:
a platen;
an extrusion head configured to move a predefined path and deposit molten part material in a series of roads to form layers of the three-dimensional part that cools to a solid state at a first resolution onto the platen;
a radiation-emitting device configured to emit radiation sufficient to ablate a portion of the part material;
a masking unit configured to spatially modulate the emitted radiation towards the formed layers of the three-dimensional part to ablate selected voxels of the formed layers of the three-dimensional part at a second resolution that is higher than the first resolution; and
at least one controller configured to manage operations of the moveable head and the laser device.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the radiation-emitting device comprises an excimer laser device.

3. The system of claim 1 , and further comprising a scanner configured to scan the printed layers.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the scanner is incorporated into the radiation-emitting device.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the additive manufacturing system comprises a housing, and wherein the radiation-emitting device is configured to reside outside of the housing.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the radiation-emitting device is configured to emit the laser beam pulses with an average power density ranging from about 0.01 J/cm 2 , and about 10 J/cm 2 .

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to adjust the spatial modulation of the masking unit.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the part material comprises a polymeric material.

9. The system of claim 1 , and wherein the extrusion head comprises:
a liquefier having a tube; and
a nozzle attached to the tube at an end wherein the nozzle is configured to extrude the molten material in the series of roads.

10. The system of claim 9 and wherein the extrusion head comprises a heater positioned about the liquefier tube, wherein the heater is configured to impart heat into the part material to cause solid part material to melt within the liquefier tube.

Assignees

• Stratasys Inc
• Statasys Inc

Inventors

• Batchelder J Samuel

Classifications

• B29C64/268

  using laser beams; using electron beams [EB] · CPC title

• B33Y30/00

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

• B29C48/266

  Means for allowing relative movements between the apparatus parts, e.g. for twisting the extruded article or for moving the die along a surface to be coated · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B29C48/265

  Support structures or bases for apparatus, e.g. frames · CPC title