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US 12,759,220 B2Granted
Nozzle failure prediction and object quality determination
AssigneePeridot Print LLC
InventorsMarc Garcia Grau, Salvador Sanchez Ribes, Sergi Culubret I Cortada, Sergio Puigardeu Aramendia
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Example implementations relate to determining and correcting for nozzle failure in printheads used for printing objects. One example implementation receives object data for printing an object and predicts a nozzle failure of a nozzle in the printhead which corresponds with a print location of the object. A print quality parameter of the object to be printed without using the nozzle is determined.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- providing object data for an object to be additively manufactured by a three-dimensional (3D) printer having a printhead;
- before initiating additive manufacture of the object by the 3D printer in a layer-by-layer process:
- predicting a nozzle failure of a nozzle in the printhead corresponding to a print location of the object;
- determining a print quality parameter of the object upon the additive manufacture by the 3D printer, based on the predicted nozzle failure of the nozzle;
- in response to determining that the print quality parameter is above a quality threshold, proceeding to initiate the additive manufacture of the object by the 3D printer in the layer-by-layer process in accordance with the object data;
- and
- in response to determining that the print quality parameter is below the quality threshold, performing a corrective action instead of proceeding to initiate the additive manufacture of the object by the 3D printer in the layer-by-layer process in accordance with the object data.
4 more elements
A printing apparatus comprising:
- a printhead;
- a processor;
- a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
- before initiating additive manufacture of an object by the printing apparatus in a layer-by-layer process:
- use object data for the object to determine printing area coordinates of the object when using the printhead in the additive manufacture of the object in the layer-by-layer process;
- determine a nozzle failure likelihood of a nozzle in the printhead corresponding to the printing area coordinates of the object;
- and
- determine an object quality parameter of the object upon the additive manufacture thereof by the printing apparatus, based on the nozzle failure likelihood of the nozzle;
- in response to determining that the object quality parameter is above a quality threshold, proceed to initiate the additive manufacture of the object by the printing apparatus in the layer-by-layer process in accordance with the object data;
- and
- in response to determining that the object quality parameter is below the quality threshold, perform a corrective action instead of proceeding to initiate the additive manufacture of the object by the printing apparatus in the layer-by-layer process in accordance with the object data.
8 more elements
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
- receive object data for an object to be additively manufactured by a three-dimensional (3D) printer having a printhead;
- before initiating additive manufacture of the object by the 3D printer in a layer-by-layer process:
- predict a nozzle failure of a nozzle in the printhead corresponding to a print location of the object;
- and
- determine a print quality parameter of the object upon the additive manufacture by the 3D printer, based on the predicted nozzle failure of the nozzle;
- in response to determining that the print quality parameter is above a quality threshold, proceed to initiate the additive manufacture of the object by the 3D printer in the layer-by-layer process in accordance with the object data;
- and
- in response to determining that the print quality parameter is below the quality threshold, perform a corrective action instead of proceeding to initiate the additive manufacture of the object by the 3D printer in the layer-by-layer process in accordance with the object data.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.