US 8,708,685 B2 · Imaging assembly

Abstract

A imaging assembly for generating a light beam suitable for sintering comprises a lamp housing and a lamp mounted in the lamp housing comprising a filament and a lamp base, wherein the lamp is oriented with the lamp base to the side of the filament. The imaging assembly further comprises a reflector, an aperture, and at least one condenser lens configured to focus light emitted by the filament through the aperture. The imaging assembly further comprises a set of achromatic doublet lenses, each achromatic doublet lens comprising three surfaces optimized to focus light at three wavelengths, wherein the set of achromatic doublet lenses focuses light over a range including the three wavelengths. The imaging assembly further comprises an outer lens, wherein the focused light beam exits the imaging assembly through the outer lens.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A solid imaging system for producing physical objects from sinterable powder based upon 3D designs, the solid imaging system comprising:

an aperture system comprising:
a light source;
at least one aperture comprising a first aperture, said first aperture interposed between the light source and a layer of sinterable powder;
and
an optical system comprising one or more lenses, wherein said optical system is configured to focus light from said aperture onto said layer of sinterable powder;
and
a sinterable powder applicator for applying the layer of sinterable powder within the solid imaging system;
wherein said optical system comprises an object plane, and said first aperture coincides with said object plane such that an image of said first aperture is projected onto said layer of sinterable powder, said image being characterized by an outer diameter, and
wherein said light focused on the layer of sinterable powder is characterized by a point spread function, and a variance of the point spread function in proximity to the outer diameter of said image is less than a variance of the point spread function in proximity to the center of the image.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Imaging assembly

Life of this patent

Imaging assembly

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20