Apparatus and method for thermal normalization in three-dimensional article manufacturing

#The invention relates to an apparatus and a method for forming a three-dimensional article, and, more particularly, to normalizing surface portions of the article during manufacturing.

#In the manufacture of a three-dimensional article, it is common practice to first create a design of the article and then produce a prototype. After reviewing the initial design and prototype, design revisions are often made requiring the production of yet another prototype. This process of review and redesign may be repeated a number of times before finding the optimum design, thereby requiring that one or more prototypes be produced. Accordingly, the process of designing and prototyping an article may involve a considerable expense of time, effort and money.

#Computer aided design (CAD) systems are commonly used for automating the design process. With the aid of a computer, an operator is able to design a three-dimensional article and display the design on a two-dimensional medium such as a display screen or paper. The computer aids in the design as called for by the operator according to pre-existing design parameters and computer software.

#FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus for forming three-dimensional articles according to the invention.

#FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the apparatus taken along lines 2--2 of FIG. 1.

#FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the apparatus taken along lines 3--3 of FIG. 2.

#The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, applicants provide these embodiments so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

#As illustrated in FIG. 1, the three-dimensional article manufacturing apparatus 30 according to the invention includes a generally rectangular housing 31. The housing includes an access opening 62 closed by a sliding door 63. A power port 49 facilitates electrical connection to an external power source such as from an AC outlet 65 shown in schematic form. A computer port 48 allows connection to an external computer 64 also shown in schematic form. An external computer 64, such as a work station or personal computer, is used to generate a digital data file containing the article defining data corresponding to an article or model to be built. For example, the data may be from an STL file which defines the article in triangular facets, as would be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

#In addition, it will be understood by those having skill in the art that the data file may be transferred to the modeling apparatus by a transferable memory medium such as a magnetic disk or tape, or a microelectronic memory, not shown. Accordingly, the apparatus 30 may be adapted to receive coordinate data from any number of sources having the appropriate electronic data format. If data is transferred by a transferable memory medium, for example, the apparatus 30 may include a disk drive, a tape reader, or other means for reading electronic data from a transferrable memory medium.