Automated 3d build processes
AssigneeMakerBot Industries, LLC
InventorsCharles Pax, Zach Smith, Adam Mayer, Nathaniel Pettis
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A conveyor or other transport mechanism is provided to support multiple, sequential builds from a three-dimensional fabrication machine. The conveyor may be heated/cooled, coated, or otherwise treated to assist in adhesion during a build, as well as removal of objects after a build. Each fabricated object may be automatically removed from the conveyor as the conveyor moves in order to restore a buildable surface for fabrication of additional objects.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- providing a build platform having a surface that is substantially planar and a conveyor formed of a sheet of material that moves in a path passing through a working volume proximal to the surface of the build platform;
- fabricating an object on the conveyor in the working volume, wherein fabricating the object includes creating the object from a number of layers of a build material, each one of the number of layers having a two-dimensional shape corresponding to a cross-section of the object;
- and
- moving the conveyor to remove the object from the working volume.
A method comprising:
- providing a rigid build platform having a surface that is substantially planar, the rigid build platform passing through a working volume of a three-dimensional printer;
- heating a working area of the surface of the rigid build platform within the working volume;
- fabricating a object on the working area, wherein fabricating the object includes creating the object from a number of layers of a material, each one of the number of layers having a two-dimensional shape corresponding to a cross-section of the object;
- cooling the working area;
- moving the working area out of the working volume.
A computer program product for controlling fabrication of an object on a build platform having a surface that is substantially planar and a conveyor formed of a sheet of material that moves in a path passing through a working volume proximal to the surface of the build platform, the computer program product comprising computer executable code embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium that, when executing on one or more computing devices, performs the steps of:
- heating the build platform;
- fabricating an object on the conveyor in the working volume, wherein fabricating the object includes creating the object from a number of layers of a build material, each one of the number of layers having a two-dimensional shape corresponding to a cross-section of the object;
- cooling the build platform;
- and
- moving the conveyor to remove the object from the working volume.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.