Rapid production apparatus with production orientation determination
AssigneeStratasys, Inc.
InventorsAmnon Siyani, Eliahu M. Kritchman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of producing an object by sequentially printing layers of construction material one on top of the other, the method comprising: providing the construction material at a first lower temperature; flowing the construction material through a heated flow path in a flow structure to heat the construction material and delivering the heated construction material to a heated reservoir in a printing head; and dispensing the heated construction material from the reservoir to build the object layer by layer.
Claims17
A method of printing a three-dimensional object comprising:
- providing a construction material at a first temperature;
- flowing the construction material through a heated flow path in a flow structure to heat the construction material;
- delivering the heated construction material to a printing head;
- dispensing the heated construction material from the printing head to build the three-dimensional object layer by layer;
- and
- controlling the temperature of the flow structure such that the temperature of the flow structure changes with flow rate to assure the substantial constancy of the temperature of the construction material delivered to the printing head.
An apparatus for printing a three-dimensional object by sequentially printing layers of a construction material one on top of the other, the apparatus comprising:
- a printing block comprising a printing head configured to dispense the construction material;
- a supply system configured to provide the construction material to the printing head;
- a flow structure configured to direct a flow of the construction material from the supply system through a heated flow path;
- a controller;
- and
- a reservoir in the printing block configured to receive the heated construction material from the flow structure and deliver it to the printing head;
- wherein the printing head is configured to dispense the heated construction material received from the reservoir to print the three-dimensional object layer by layer, and wherein the controller is configured to control the temperature of the flow structure such that the temperature of the flow structure changes with the flow rate of the construction material, to assure the substantial constancy of the temperature of construction material received by the printing head from the reservoir.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.