US 2024/0168453 A1Published application

Computer numerically controlled fabrication using projected information

AssigneeGlowforge Inc.

InventorsMark Gosselin, Daniel Shapiro, Penelope Ackerman, Daniel Martinec, Kevin McVey, Michael Natkin, Therese Seldon

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Abstract

A method may include projecting, onto a surface within a computer numerically controlled machine, a structured light having a known property. One or more sensors may generate an image of the structured light projected on the surface within the computer numerically controlled machine. One or more characteristics of the surface may be determined by comparing a property of the structured light shown in the image to the known property of the structured light. Examples of characteristics include a size, a distance to the surface, a height, a thickness, an angle of the surface, edges, surface properties, jigs, fiducial alignment markers, patterns encoding data, and visual designs on the surface of the material that are intended for reproductions. A surface map indicating the characteristics of the surface at various locations may be generated to enable, for example, a calibration, alignment, and/or optimization of the computer numerically controlled machine.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A computer-numerically-controlled (CNC) machine comprising:

a housing surrounding an enclosure;
a moveable head configured to deliver electromagnetic energy to a material at least partially contained within the enclosure;
one or more sensors mechanically coupled to the moveable head configured to detect a surface of the material;
at least one data processor;
at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium;
and
program instructions stored on the at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium that are executable by the at least one processor such that the CNC machine is configured to:
for each of a plurality of locations on the surface of the material:
detect, via the one or more sensors mechanically coupled to the moveable head, the surface of the material at the location;
based on the one or more sensors detecting the surface of the material at the location, determine a height of the material at the location;
and
based on the determined height of the material at the location, determine a respective focal length for electromagnetic energy to be delivered by the moveable head at the location;
and
cause the moveable head to, for one or more of the plurality of locations:
set the respective focal length for electromagnetic energy at the location;
and
deliver electromagnetic energy at the location to effect a change in the surface of the material at the location.

14 more elements

A non-transitory computer-readable medium, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium is provisioned with program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause a computer-numerically-controlled (CNC) machine to:

for each of a plurality of locations on a surface of a material at least partially contained within an enclosure of the CNC machine:
detect, via one or more sensors mechanically coupled to a moveable head of the CNC machine, the surface of the material at the location;
based on the one or more sensors detecting the surface of the material at the location, determine a height of the material at the location;
and
based on the determined height of the material at the location, determine a respective focal length for electromagnetic energy to be delivered by the moveable head at the location;
and
cause the moveable head to, for one or more of the plurality of locations:
set the respective focal length for electromagnetic energy at the location;
and
deliver electromagnetic energy at the location to effect a change in the surface of the material at the location.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.