Layer manufacturing using electrostatic imaging and lamination

A solid freeform fabrication apparatus for making a three-dimensional object from multiple layers of solid powder and binder materials, said apparatus comprising:

• (a) a work surface to support said object while being built;
• (b) a powder-dispensing means at a predetermined initial distance from said work surface, said dispensing means having an outlet directed to said work surface for feeding successive layers of a body-building powder material onto said work surface one layer at a time;
• (c) an electro-photographic powder deposition means disposed at a distance from said work surface for providing binder powder images onto said successive layers of a primary body-building powder material, one layer at a time;
• (d) energy means in energy-supplying relation to said work surface and multiple layers of materials thereon for consolidating said multiple layers;
• and
• (e) motion devices coupled to said work surface, said powder-dispensing means, and said electro-photographic powder deposition means for moving said powder-dispensing means and said electro-photographic powder deposition means relative to said work surface in a plane defined by first and second directions and in a third direction orthogonal to said plane to dispense and deposit said multiple layers of a primary body-building powder and binder materials, one layer at a time, for forming said 3-D object.

A method for making a three-dimensional object from layers of primary body-building porous substrate and a binder powder, said method comprising the steps of:

• positioning a work surface in proximity to, and at a predetermined initial distance from, means for storing and supplying said body-building porous substrate layers;
• feeding a first layer of said body-building porous substrate onto said work surface;
• electro-photographically depositing an image of a binder powder material onto selected areas of said first layer of body-building porous substrate;
• applying energy means to said first layer for consolidating the body-building substrate material and the binder in said selected areas for building a cross-section of said object;
• repeating said feeding, depositing, and applying steps to form a plurality of layers, each of said layers being integrally bonded to the next adjacent of said layers by said applying steps to form an integral 3-D body imbedded in a stack of binder-free portions of porous substrate serving as a support structure;
• and
• removing said support structure, causing said 3-D object to appear.