Methods and compositions related to stereolithography
OwnerJames Vincent Crivelloinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An improved system for producing a three-dimensional object from a fluid medium is described. The fluid medium includes an epoxy-functional silicon-containing monomer or oligomer, and a suitable cationic photoinitiator. The medium is used in a stereolithographic apparatus, which converts computer-generated data for the desired part to a real three-dimensional part, via the directed action of a laser beam or similar energy form on the liquid medium. This invention also embraces a method for producing the three-dimensional object from the liquid medium, utilizing a family of epoxy-functional silicon-containing materials.
Claims34
An improved system for producing a three-dimensional object from a fluid medium, comprising the following components:
- (a) a body of fluid medium capable of solidification when subjected to prescribed stimulation, said fluid medium itself comprising:
- (i) at least one monomer or oligomer containing at least one epoxycyclohexyl group which is bonded directly or indirectly to a group containing at least one silicon atom, and
- (ii) a cationic photoinitiator for component (i);
- (b) object support means immersed within said fluid medium for supporting a three-dimensional object to be formed;
- (c) translational means for selectively moving said object support means progressively away from a designated surface of said fluid medium;
- and
- (d) reaction means capable of altering the physical state of the fluid medium, and operating in a prescribed pattern upon said designated surface of the medium to provide a thin solid lamina at the surface, representing a corresponding cross-sectional lamina of the three-dimensional object to be formed;
- whereby successive adjacent laminae are provided to form the three-dimensional object on the object support means as the translational means moves the support means away from the designated surface.
A stereolithographic system for producing a three-dimensional object from a fluid medium capable of solidification when subjected to prescribed stimulation, wherein the medium comprises the following components:
- (i) at least one monomer or oligomer containing at least one epoxycyclohexyl group which is bonded directly or indirectly to a group containing at least one silicon atom, and
- (ii) a cationic photoinitiator for component (i).
A method for producing a three-dimensional object from a medium capable of solidification when subjected to prescribed radiation, comprising the following steps:
- (I) containing a body of the medium, which itself comprises the following components:
- (i) at least one monomer or oligomer containing at least one epoxycyclohexyl group which is bonded directly or indirectly to a group containing at least one silicon atom, and
- (ii) a cationic photoinitiator for component (i);
- (II) drawing upon and forming successive cross-sectional laminae of the object at a two-dimensional interface of the medium defining a designated working surface, said laminae including a first cross-sectional layer of structure at the working surface;
- (III) automatically coating over the entire first cross-sectional layer of structure with a body of the medium, in preparation for formation of a second cross-sectional layer of structure adhered to the first cross-sectional layer;
- and
- (IV) moving said cross-sectional layers as they are formed, and building up the object from a plurality of successively adhered layers of structure in stepwise fashion, whereby a three-dimensional object is extracted from a substantially two-dimensional surface.
A method for directly producing a three-dimensional object as it is designed by a computer, comprising the following steps:
- (I) deriving graphic image output from the computer, said graphic image output defining successive adjacent cross-sections of the three-dimensional object designed by the computer;
- (II) containing a medium capable of solidification;
- said medium itself comprising the following components:
- (i) at least one monomer or oligomer containing at least one epoxycyclohexyl group which is bonded directly or indirectly to a group containing at least one silicon atom, and
- (ii) a cationic photoinitiator for component (i);
- (III) drawing upon and forming successive layer cross-sections, corresponding to the computer-designed cross-sections of the object, at a two-dimensional interface of the medium defining a working surface, said layer cross-sections including a first cross-sectional layer of structure at said working surface;
- (IV) automatically coating over the entire first cross-sectional layer of structure with a body of the medium, in preparation for formation of a second cross-sectional layer of structure adhered to the first cross-sectional layer;
- (V) moving the cross-sectional layers as they are formed, and building up the object from a plurality of successively-adhered layers in a stepwise fashion, whereby the three-dimensional object designed by the computer is automatically extracted from a substantially two-dimensional surface.
In a stereolithographic method for producing a three-dimensional object from a fluid medium capable of solidification when subjected to prescribed stimulation, the improvement comprising the following steps:
- utilizing as the fluid medium a composition which itself comprises the following components:
- (i) at least one monomer or oligomer containing at least one epoxycyclohexyl group which is bonded directly or indirectly to a group containing at least one silicon atom, and
- (ii) a cationic photoinitiator for component (i).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.