Layer manufacturing of a multi-material or multi-color 3-D object using electrostatic imaging and lamination

A solid freeform fabrication method for fabricating a multi-material three-dimensional object from successive layers of a primary body-building powder material, at least a modifier powder, and a binder powder in accordance with a computer-aided design of the object, said design comprising geometry and material composition data, said method comprising:

• (a) providing a work surface;
• (b) feeding a first layer of said primary body-building powder material to said work surface;
• (c) operating an electrophotographic powder deposition means to create transferable images of said at least a modifier powder and said binder powder image in accordance with said design;
• (d) transferring said transferable powder images to said first layer of primary body-building powder material;
• (e) applying energy means to fuse said binder powder, forming a binder fluid to permeate through said first layer of primary body-building material for bonding and consolidating the powder particles in said first layer to form a first cross-section of said object;
• (f) feeding a second layer of said primary body-building powder material onto said first layer and repeating the operating, transferring, and applying steps to form a second cross-section of said object;
• (g) repeating the feeding, operating, transferring, and applying steps to build successive layers in a layer-wise fashion in accordance with said design for forming multiple layers of said object;
• and
• (h) removing un-bonded powder particles in said multiple layers, causing said 3-D object to appear.