Systems and methods for fabricating three-dimensional objects
AssigneesGeorgia Tech Research Corporation, The Regents of the University of Michigan
InventorsSuman Das, John W. Halloran
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems and methods for fabricating three-dimensional objects are disclosed. The system includes an optical imaging system providing a light source; a photosensitive medium adapted to change states upon exposure to a portion of the light source from the optical imaging system; a control system for controlling movement of the optical imaging system, wherein the optical imaging system moves continuously above the photosensitive medium. The method includes moving a maskless optical imaging system providing the light beam in a continuous sequence; presenting the light beam on a portion of the photosensitive medium; lowering a plate upon which the photosensitive medium resides; and applying a new layer of the photosensitive medium.
Claims20
A method for creating a three-dimensional model comprising:
- moving a maskless optical imaging system in a continuous sequence with one micron positioning accuracy proximate a photosensitive medium;
- exposing a predetermined portion of the photosensitive medium to an energy source from the maskless optical imaging system;
- lowering a plate upon which the photosensitive medium resides with one micron positioning accuracy;
- and
- applying a new layer of photosensitive medium.
A method for fabricating a three-dimensional object, the method comprising:
- analyzing a computer-aided design (CAD);
- moving a maskless optical imaging system with one micron positioning accuracy in a continuous sequence proximate a photosensitive medium;
- exposing a predetermined portion of the photosensitive medium with an energy source from the maskless optical imaging system by:
- directing a portion of the energy source with a spatial light modulator (SLM) into one or more lenses;
- focusing the portion of the energy source onto the photosensitive medium with the one or more lenses to expose a predetermined portion of the photosensitive medium;
- lowering a plate disposed within the material build platform upon which the photosensitive medium resides, the lowering of the plate upon which the photosensitive medium resides occurring after the light source is presented to the portion of the photosensitive medium;
- and
- applying a new layer of photosensitive media to the material build platform;
- wherein the portion of the energy source presented on the predetermined portion of the photosensitive medium corresponds to a portion of the CAD;
- and
- wherein the portion of the energy source continuously changes as the SLM scans the photosensitive medium.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.