US 10,286,452 B2Granted

Three-dimensional printing and three-dimensional printers

AssigneeVelo3D, Inc.

InventorsBenyamin Buller, Zachary Ryan Murphree, Richard Joseph Romano, Thomas Blasius Brezoczky, Alan Rick Lappen, Robert Michael Martinson

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Abstract

The present disclosure provides three-dimensional (3D) printing processes, apparatuses, software, and systems for the production of at least one desired 3D object. The 3D printer system (e.g., comprising a processing chamber, build module, or an unpacking station) described herein may retain a desired (e.g., inert) atmosphere around the material bed and/or 3D object at multiple 3D printing stages. The 3D printer described herein comprises one or more build modules that may have a controller separate from the controller of the processing chamber. The 3D printer described herein comprises a platform that may be automatically constructed. The invention(s) described herein may allow the 3D printing process to occur for a long time without operator intervention and/or down time.

Claims47

Dependent claims

An apparatus for three-dimensional printing of at least one three-dimensional object, comprising:

an unpacking station configured to facilitate removal of at least a portion of a starting material of the at least one three-dimensional object from the at least one three-dimensional object subsequent to printing the at least one three-dimensional object using the starting material, which unpacking station comprises a first atmosphere;
and
a build module configured to accommodate the at least one three-dimensional object and the starting material, which build module comprises a second atmosphere,
which unpacking station and the build module are configured to reversibly engage one another, wherein the first atmosphere differs in content from an ambient atmosphere at least when the unpacking station and the build module have reversibly engaged one another, wherein (i) the unpacking station is configured to seal the first atmosphere at pressure different from an ambient pressure, and/or (ii) the build module is configured to seal the second atmosphere at pressure different from the ambient pressure, at least during removal of the at least the portion of the starting material of the at least one three-dimensional object from the at least one three-dimensional object at the unpacking station.

1 more element

An apparatus for three-dimensional printing of at least one three-dimensional object comprising at least one controller that is configured to operatively couple to an unpacking station, and/or a build module, which at least one controller is configured to direct at least the following operations:

(a) reversible engage (i) an unpacking station that is configured to accommodate a first atmosphere and is configured to facilitate removal of at least a portion of a starting material of the at least one three-dimensional object from the at least one three-dimensional object subsequent to printing the at least one three-dimensional object using the starting material and, with (ii) the build module that is configured to accommodate a second atmosphere, the at least one three-dimensional object, and a starting material of the at least one three-dimensional object;
and
(b) control the first atmosphere to differ in content from an ambient atmosphere at least when the unpacking station and the build module have reversibly engaged with one another, and (i) seal the first atmosphere at pressure different from an ambient pressure, and/or (ii) seal the second atmosphere at pressure different from the ambient pressure, at least during removal of the at least the portion of the starting material of the at least one three-dimensional object from the at least one three-dimensional object at the unpacking station.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/634,727Filed 27 Jun 2017 · us provisional application
Priority: 29 Jun 2016
Published: US 2018/0001557 A14 Jan 2018
Granted: 14 May 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification36 codes

B29C 64/153
Using only solid materials: using layers of powder being selectively joined, e.g. by selective laser sintering or melting
B22F 10/32
Process control: of the atmosphere, e.g. composition or pressure in a building chamber
B22F 12/222
Driving means: for motion along a direction orthogonal to the plane of a layer
B22F 12/88
Plants, production lines or modules: handling of additively manufactured products, e.g. by robots

Family

Application62/356,465Us provisional application · filed 29 Jun 2016
Application62/421,836Us provisional application · filed 14 Nov 2016
Application62/472,320Us provisional application · filed 16 Mar 2017
Application62/506,149Us provisional application · filed 15 May 2017
US 2018/0001557 A1Pre-grant publication · published 4 Jan 2018
US 10,286,452 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.