Method and apparatus for high-speed layer thickness curing in 3-D model making

A method of creating a 3-dimensional model by curing a photocurable liquid polymer comprising the steps of:

• a) placing a quantity of the photocurable liquid polymer in a container;
• b) disposing a substrate upon which to build the model in the container and in the polymer;
• c) disposing a knife member over the substrate with a bottom edge parallel to the substrate at a layer-spaced distance therefrom;
• d) moving the knife member over the substrate and parallel thereto from a starting side edge of the model to an opposite side edge of the model while simultaneously creating and conducting a 1-dimensional pattern of light beams for curing the liquid polymer to a line at and parallel to the bottom edge and therefrom into the liquid polymer immediately behind the bottom edge to cure a layer of the polymer and thereby form a layer of the model;
• e) raising the knife member over the layer created in step (d) to place the bottom edge parallel to that layer at a layer-spaced distance therefrom;
• and,
• f) repeating steps (d) and (e) until the model had been formed in a line-by-line and layer-by-layer pattern from a bottom layer to a top layer.

A system for creating 3-dimensional models by curing a photocurable liquid polymer comprising:

• a) a container containing the photocurable liquid polymer;
• b) a substrate upon which to build the model disposed in said container and in the polymer;
• c) a knife member disposed over said substrate with a bottom edge parallel to said substrate;
• d) movement means for moving said bottom edge of said knife member up and down with respect to said substrate and for moving said knife member over said substrate parallel thereto;
• e) curing means for creating and conducting a 1-dimensional pattern of light beams for curing the liquid polymer to a line immediately behind and parallel to said bottom edge and therefrom into the liquid polymer;
• f) movement control means connected to said movement means for repeatedly moving said knife member over said substrate parallel thereto in a series of adjacent layers;
• and,
• g) light control mean connected to said curing means for creating and conducting a series of 1-dimensional patterns of light beams into the liquid polymer to cure the liquid polymer as said knife member is moved over said substrate in said series of adjacent layers whereby a model is created by curing the liquid polymer in a line-by-line and layer-by-layer pattern from a bottom layer to a top layer.

Peripheral apparatus for connection to a computer for creating 3-dimensional models by curing a photocurable liquid polymer in response to input commands from the computer comprising:

• a) a container containing the photocurable liquid polymer;
• b) a substrate upon which to build the model disposed in said container and in the polymer;
• c) a knife member disposed over said substrate with a bottom edge parallel to said substrate;
• d) movement means for moving said bottom edge of said knife member up and down with respect to said substrate and for moving said knife member over said substrate parallel thereto;
• e) curing means for creating and conducting a 1-dimensional pattern of light beams for curing the liquid polymer to a line immediately behind and parallel to said bottom edge and therefrom into the liquid polymer;
• f) movement control means connected to said movement means for moving said knife member over said substrate parallel thereto and up and down with respect to said substrate;
• g) light control mean connected to said curing means for creating and conducting a 1-dimensional pattern of light beams into the liquid polymer to cure the liquid polymer;
• and,
• h) device control means connected to said movement means and said light control means and having input means for receiving control information from the computer for repeatedly moving said knife member over said substrate parallel thereto in a series of adjacent layers and for simultaneously inputting a series of 1-dimensional patterns of light beams into the liquid polymer as said knife member is moved over said substrate in said series of adjacent layers whereby a model is created by curing the liquid polymer in a line-by-line and layer-by-layer pattern from a bottom layer to a top layer according to information from the computer.