Systems, methods, and materials for ultra-high throughput additive manufacturing

A system for producing a three-dimensional object from a fluid medium configured to solidify when subjected to prescribed light stimulation, the system comprising a plurality of image processing units, each of the plurality of image processing units comprising:

• at least one light emitting source configured to emit light;
• at least one mirror system for reflecting light emitted by the at least one light emitting source, wherein the at least one mirror system comprises a manipulating system for adjusting a direction of the emitted light and a control system for controlling the manipulating system;
• and
• at least one optical element configured to manipulate the emitted light and to project the emitted light onto an area of a surface of the fluid medium to form an image on the surface,
• wherein the plurality of image processing units are configured to form a corresponding plurality of images on the surface,
• wherein the plurality of image processing units are arranged in a grid pattern a scanning table, wherein the scanning table is configured to be movable in a scanning direction that is in a lateral direction relative to the surface, and
• wherein the image processing units are mounted at an angle offset from the axis of the scanning direction.

A process for irradiating a voxel in a 3D printing system, wherein the system comprises a computer system, a plurality of image processing units arranged in a grid pattern relative to a scanning table, and a resin, comprising steps of:

• (a) selecting voxels V of resin;
• (b) determining an irradiation dose for the voxels V;
• (c) calculating illumination such that the voxels V receive the determined irradiation dose over one or more passes of the scanning table over the surface of the resin;
• and
• (d) irradiating the voxels V over the one or more passes utilizing the calculated illumination.

A system for producing a three-dimensional object from a fluid medium configured to solidify when subjected to prescribed light stimulation, the system comprising a plurality of image processing units, each of the plurality of image processing units comprising:

• at least one light emitting source configured to emit light;
• at least one mirror system for reflecting light emitted by the at least one light emitting source, wherein the at least one mirror system comprises a manipulating system for adjusting a direction of the emitted light and a control system for controlling the manipulating system;
• at least one optical element configured to manipulate the emitted light and to project the emitted light onto an area of a surface of the fluid medium to form an image on the surface;
• a computer system configured to:
• irradiate a region of the surface of the fluid medium according to a pattern to form a three-dimensional object;
• and
• deliver to the region, via the emitted light, an amount of energy sufficient to cause solidification of the fluid medium;
• wherein the plurality of image processing units are configured to form a corresponding plurality of images on the surface,
• wherein the plurality of image processing units are configured to be movable at least in a lateral direction relative to the surface, and
• wherein the plurality of image processing units are mounted onto a moving scanning table having a lateral scanning table size, and wherein a speed of a motion of the scanning table and an intensity of the light emitted by the plurality of image processing units is selected such that the selected region receives an amount of energy via the emitted light that supersedes an amount of energy required to cause solidification of the fluid medium during a single pass of the scanning table over the region.