Forming microstructures in 3D printing by fusing and sintering using a fusing agent
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsHector Lebron, Jake Wright, Alexey S. Kabalnov
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In an example implementation, a method of printing a three-dimensional (3D) object includes, applying a layer of build powder onto a printing platform and depositing a deliberate micropattern of liquid agent onto the powder within a macropattern that defines a cross-section of a 3D object to be printed. The method includes forming a microstructure from the deliberate micropattern by applying fusing energy to the powder, the microstructure comprising fused areas and sintered areas between the fused areas.
Claims15
A method of printing a three-dimensional (3D) object comprising:
- receiving object data that represents a model of a 3D object;
- modifying the object data to generate patterned object data;
- from the patterned object data, generating print data to control a 3D printer to deposit a deliberate micropattern of liquid fusing agent onto a layer of build material within a macropattern that comprises a cross-section of a 3D object being printed, the deliberate micropattern comprising agent areas that have liquid fusing agent and gap areas that lack liquid fusing agent;
- and,
- forming a deliberate microstructure that corresponds with the deliberate micropattern by applying fusing energy to simultaneously fully melt build material in the agent areas from heat generated in the agent areas by absorbing fusing energy with the fusing agent, while binding without fully melting, build material in the gap areas with indirect heat that disperses into the gap areas from the agent areas.
A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a processor of a three-dimensional (3D) printer cause the 3D printer to:
- deposit a powder layer onto a printing platform;
- form on the powder layer, a deliberate micropattern comprising fusible areas on which fusing agent is deposited separated by sinterable areas in between the fusible areas on which fusing agent is not deposited;
- and,
- expose the powder layer to infrared radiation to simultaneously fully melt powder in the fusible areas with heat generated by the fusing agent absorbing infrared radiation and bind powder without fully melting powder in the sinterable areas into a microstructure with indirect heat that disperses into the sinterable areas from the fusible areas.
A method of printing a three-dimensional (3D) object comprising:
- applying a layer of build powder onto a printing platform;
- depositing a deliberate micropattern of liquid fusing agent onto the powder within a macropattern that defines a cross-section of a 3D object to be printed;
- and,
- forming simultaneously, sintered areas and fused areas of a microstructure from the deliberate micropattern by applying fusing energy to the powder, the microstructure comprising fused areas of the powder that are solidified after fully melting from heat generated by the absorption of fusing energy by the fusing agent and sintered areas of the powder between the fused areas that are bound together without fully melting from indirect heat that disperses into the sintered areas from the fused areas.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.