Line laser imager for thermoplastic selective laser sintering

A single-pass imaging system for forming a printed object by exposing a powder bed with a patterned light, comprising:

• a line laser print head to expose predetermined regions corresponding to a plurality of pixels on a surface of the powder bed with a beam, which has a wavelength in a predetermined wavelength region that includes ultraviolet, and which is emitted from a light source and modulated for each pixel in accordance with image data;
• at least one processor;
• and
• at least one memory including computer program code for one or more programs, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the system to perform at least the following:
• transferring a portion of powder particles from a delivery bed to the powder bed;
• sintering the powder particles in the powder bed by using the line laser print head to form the printed object;
• wherein the transferring is preparing a layer of fresh powder on top of existing powder bed;
• wherein the line laser print head can take a simple linear motion to complete a raster scan of an area equal to its width;
• wherein a relative distance between the line laser print head and fabrication bed is adjusted to accommodate a thickness for each powder layer in the fabrication bed.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for controlling a single pass imaging system for forming a printed object by exposing a powder bed with a patterned light, the instructions comprising:

• loading a plurality of powder particles into a delivery bed of the 3D printer;
• transferring a portion of the powder particles from the delivery bed to a powder bed of the 3D printer;
• using a plurality of light modulating elements arranged in a two-dimensional array and disposed in a homogenous light field such that each said modulating element receives an associated homogenous light portion of the homogenous light field;
• using an anamorphic optical system arranged to concentrate said modulated light portions such that the concentrated modulated light portions produce an elongated scan line on the powder bed;
• wherein each modulating element modulates an associated received homogenous light portion such that an associated modulated light portion is directed in a corresponding predetermined direction;
• wherein at the elongated scan line said modulated light portions sinter the powder particles in the powdered bed;
• and
• sintering the powder particles in the powder bed by using a line laser print head to form the printed object;
• wherein the transferring is preparing a layer of fresh powder on top of existing powder bed;
• wherein the line laser print head can take a simple linear motion to complete a raster scan of an area equal to its width;
• wherein a relative distance between the line laser print head and fabrication bed is adjusted to accommodate a thickness for each powder layer in the fabrication bed;
• wherein the line laser print head causes at the powder bed a laser imaging line with high resolution spatial/temporal power modulation;
• wherein the line laser print head comprises one laser or an array of lasers;
• wherein a laser is one or more CO2, Nd:YAG laser, diode laser, diode laser bar, near IR diode laser, or a combination thereof.