System and method for evaluation of a three-dimensional (3D) object during formation of the object

A three-dimensional object printer comprising:

• a planar member;
• at least one ejector configured to eject material to produce a three-dimensional (3D) object on the planar member;
• a scanner configured to generate image data of the 3D object for a first data file, the image data corresponding to an interior surface and an exterior surface of the 3D object;
• and
• a controller operatively connected to the at least one ejector and the scanner, the controller being configured to:
• operate the scanner to generate the image data of the 3D object for the first data file;
• operate the at least one ejector with reference to a second data file to produce the 3D object;
• operate the at least one ejector with reference to the second data file to form indicia on a surface of the 3D object during production of the 3D object;
• align a position and orientation of the 3D object in the image data of the first data file with a position and orientation of the 3D object in the second data file with reference to the image data of the indicia on the 3D object in the first data file;
• compare the image data of the 3D object in the first data file received from the scanner with the data corresponding to the aligned 3D object in the second data file;
• identify differences between the image data corresponding to the interior surface and the exterior surface of the 3D object in the first data file and the data corresponding to the aligned 3D object in the second data file;
• perform a process to add material to or remove material from the 3D object to rectify a defect on the 3D object with reference to the identified differences;
• generate with the scanner image data of the 3D object in a third data file after the process to rectify the defect is performed, the image data corresponding to the interior surface and the exterior surface of the 3D object after the process to rectify the defect is performed;
• align a position and orientation of the 3D object in the third data file with the position and orientation of the 3D object in the second data file with reference to the image data of the indicia on the 3D object in the third data file;
• compare the image data of the 3D object in the third data file with the data corresponding to the 3D object in the second data file;
• identify differences between the image data corresponding to the interior surface and the exterior surface of the 3D object in the third data file and the data corresponding to the 3D object in the second data file;
• compare the identified differences to a predetermined threshold;
• perform a process to add material to or remove material from the 3D object to rectify the defect on the 3D object with reference to the identified differences in response to the identified differences being greater than the predetermined threshold;
• and
• continue to operate the scanner to generate the image data for the third data file, aligning the position and orientation of the 3D object in the third data file with the position and orientation of the 3D object in the second data file, comparing the image data of the 3D object in the third data file with the data corresponding to the aligned 3D object in the second data file, identifying differences between the image data of the 3D object in the third data file and the data of the aligned 3D object in the second data file, comparing the identified differences to the predetermined threshold, and performing the process to add material to or remove material from the 3D object to rectify the defect on the 3D object until the identified differences are less than the predetermined threshold or until the process to rectify the defect has been performed a predetermined number of times.