Porous structure and methods of making same
AssigneeSmith & Newphew, Inc.
InventorRyan Lloyd Landon
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present disclosure allows for more controlled modification of the input data to a Rapid Manufacturing Technologies (RMT) machinery to compensate for systematic error of the manufacturing process, such as directional build discrepancies, by performing the opposite effect to the input data. The modification is achieved with minimal unwanted distortions introduced to other portions of the structure to be built by decoupling the global scaling effects on the whole structure from the desired local effects on certain portions
Claims20
A method for fabricating a porous structure comprising the steps of:
- a. creating a model of a porous structure, said creating step comprising the steps of:
- defining at least one strut of said porous structure, wherein said at least one strut comprises a first node, a second node, and a body between said first node and said second node;
- b. assigning a local coordinate system to said at least one strut, said local coordinate system having at least one direction perpendicular to the normal vector of a first plane;
- c. modifying a dimension of said at least one strut in said at least one direction, wherein said modifying step does not affect any changes in said first plane;
- and
- d. fabricating the porous structure according to the model by exposing fusible material to an energy source.
A method for fabricating a porous structure comprising the steps of:
- a. creating a model of a porous structure, said creating step comprising the steps of:
- defining at least one strut of said porous structure, wherein said at least one strut comprises a first node, a second node, and a body between said first node and said second node;
- b. assigning a local coordinate system to said at least one strut, said local coordinate system having at least one direction perpendicular to the normal vector of a first plane;
- c. modifying a dimension of said at least one strut in said first plane;
- and
- d. fabricating the porous structure according to the model by exposing fusible material to an energy source.
A method for fabricating a porous structure comprising the steps of:
- a. creating a model of a porous structure, said creating step comprising the steps of:
- defining at least one strut of said porous structure, wherein said at least one strut comprises a first node, a second node, and a body between said first node and said second node;
- b. assigning a local coordinate system to said at least one strut, said local coordinate system having at least one direction perpendicular to the normal vector of a build plane;
- c. modifying a dimension of said at least one strut in said build plane, wherein the modifying step is based at least on an error to be compensated for in a machine used to expose fusible material to an energy source, and wherein the modifying step comprises the steps of:
- transforming said local coordinate system to a coordinate system of said build plane;
- applying a scaling factor to said dimension of said at least one strut;
- and transforming said coordinate system of said build plane to said local coordinate system;
- and
- d. fabricating the porous structure according to the model by exposing the fusible material to the energy source.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.