Thermal stereolighography

An apparatus for forming at least a portion of a three-dimensional object comprising:

• a frame;
• a first container for containing a support material which is normally in a solid state, which is separable from a building material, and which is flowable when maintained at a temperature at least as great as a flowable temperature;
• first means for applying energy to said support material to maintain said support material at a temperature at least as great as said flowable temperature to form flowable support material;
• a building environment maintained at a temperature below said flowable temperature including a platform on which to form said at least portion of said three-dimensional object;
• a nozzle coupled to said container for selectively dispensing a flow of said flowable support material from said container through an outlet in said nozzle into said building environment;
• second means responsive to control signals for controlling said flow of said flowable support material dispensed through said nozzle;
• positioning means fixed to said frame and responsive to control signals for relatively positioning said nozzle and said platform;
• a second container for containing a building material, said building material being capable of selective physical transformation upon exposure to synergistic stimulation;
• recoating means responsive to control signals for successively forming fresh layers of building material above a surface supported by said platform;
• third means responsive to control signals for selectively exposing said fresh layers of said building material to said synergistic stimulation;
• at least one control computer programmed to send control signals to said second means, said positioning means, said recoating means, and said third means, to successively form and selectively expose said fresh layers of said building material to said synergistic stimulation in accordance with a prescribed pattern to form said at least a portion of said three-dimensional object out of said building material, wherein said pattern specifies at least one area to remain unexposed to said synergistic stimulation and to be below an otherwise unsupported object surface.

A method for forming at least a portion of a three-dimensional object, comprising the steps of:

• containing a building material which is normally in a solid state, and which is flowable when maintained at a temperature at least as great as a flowable temperature;
• applying energy to said building material to maintain the temperature of said building material at a temperature at least as great as said flowable temperature thereby forming flowable building material;
• and
• selectively dispensing said flowable building material in a prescribed pattern into a building environment maintained at a temperature below said flowable temperature to form said at least a portion of said three-dimensional object.

A method for forming at least a portion of a three-dimensional object, comprising the steps of:

• containing a building material capable of selective physical transformation upon exposure to synergistic stimulation;
• successively forming fresh layers of said building material;
• selectively exposing said fresh layers of said building material to said synergistic stimulation in accordance with a prescribed pattern to form said at least a portion of said three-dimensional object wherein said pattern specifies at least one area to remain unexposed to said synergistic stimulation and to be below an otherwise unsupported object surface;
• containing a support material which is normally in a solid state, which is separable from said object, and which is flowable when maintained at a temperature at least as great as a flowable temperature;
• applying energy to said support material to maintain said support material at a temperature at least as great as said flowable temperature to form flowable support material;
• and
• selectively dispensing said flowable support material into a building environment which is maintained at a temperature below said flowable temperature, and to at least a portion of said at least one area.

An apparatus for forming at least a portion of a three-dimensional object, comprising:

• a frame;
• a container for containing a building material which is in a solid state when subjected to an environment deficient in an effective quantity of synergistic stimulation and which is flowable when subjected to an environment having at least said effective quantity of said synergistic stimulation;
• means for applying said effective quantity of said synergistic stimulation to said building material to form flowable building material;
• a second environment deficient in an effective quantity of synergistic stimulation;
• and
• means for selectively dispensing said flowable building material into said second environment in a prescribed pattern to form said at least a portion of said three-dimensional object.

A method for forming at least a portion of a three-dimensional object, comprising the steps of:

• containing a building material which is in a solid state when subjected to an environment deficient in an effective quantity of synergistic stimulation, and which is flowable when subjected to an environment having at least said effective quantity of synergistic stimulation;
• applying said effective quantity of synergistic stimulation to said building material to form flowable building material;
• and
• selectively dispensing said flowable building material into a second environment deficient in said effective quantity of synergistic stimulation, and in a prescribed pattern to form said at least portion of said three-dimensional object.