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US 6,641,772 B2Granted
Method of forming objects from thermosensitive composition
AssigneeCreo Inc.
InventorDaniel Gelbart
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Three dimensional objects are formed by scanning a liquid thermosensitive resin with a laser beam causing imagewise heating of the resin. Because thermosensitive compositions do not obey the law of linear superposition, the problem of stray exposure is eliminated allowing the thermal polymerization of any point within the volume of the liquid without affecting adjacent points.
Claims28
A method for forming a three dimensional object comprising:
- (a) providing a volume of a thermosensitive material, the material having a rate of solidification which increases with temperature;
- (b) raising a temperature of at least one interior spot in the volume of the thermosensitive material to a temperature sufficient to cause the thermosensitive material to solidify in the vicinity of the spot;
- and,
- (c) building a three-dimensional object by repeating the step of raising a temperature of an interior spot in the volume of the thermosensitive material for different spots.
1 more element
A method for forming a three dimensional object comprising:
- (a) providing a volume of a thermosensitive material;
- (b) raising a temperature of at least one interior spot in the volume by providing radiation converging on the spot;
- (c) allowing the increased temperature of the thermosensitive material in the vicinity of the spot to cause the thermosensitive material to solidify in the vicinity of the spot;
- and
- (d) building up a three-dimensional object by repeating the step of raising a temperature of an interior spot in the volume of the thermosensitive resin for different adjacent spots.
2 more elements
A method for forming a three dimensional object comprising:
- (a) providing a volume of a thermosensitive material having a threshold temperature wherein the thermosensitive material solidifies rapidly when raised to a temperature in excess of the threshold temperature;
- (b) rapidly raising a temperature of an interior spot in the volume of the thermosensitive material to a temperature in excess of the threshold temperature by providing at least one beam of radiation focussed on the spot wherein the increased temperature of the thermosensitive material in the vicinity of the spot causes the thermosensitive material to solidify by coalescing in the vicinity of the spot;
- (c) building up a three-dimensional object by repeating the step of raising a temperature of an interior spot in the volume of the thermosensitive material for different spots;
- and,
- (d) removing unsolidified resin from the three-dimensional object.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.