Additive manufacturing with soluble build sheet and part marking
AssigneeStratasys, Inc.
InventorsWilliam J. Swanson, Dominic F. Mannella
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for producing three-dimensional parts, which includes printing the three-dimensional parts and associated support structures onto soluble build sheets, marking each three-dimensional part with information relating to the three-dimensional part, and removing the associated support structures and the soluble build sheets from the printed three-dimensional parts with an aqueous solution using a support removal process. The markings remain applied to the three-dimensional parts after the support removal process, and preferably do not detract from aesthetic qualities of the three-dimensional parts.
Claims20
A method for producing a three-dimensional part, the method comprising:
- securing a film to a platen assembly of an additive manufacturing system;
- printing the three-dimensional part onto the secured film;
- removing the film having the printed three-dimensional part from the additive manufacturing system;
- and
- exposing the three-dimensional part and the film to a solvent to at least partially dissolve the film to remove the film from the three-dimensional part.
A method for producing a three-dimensional part, the method comprising:
- securing a film to a platen assembly of an additive manufacturing system, wherein the film comprises a soluble material;
- printing a support structure and at least a portion of the three-dimensional part onto the secured film;
- applying a marking to a surface of the three-dimensional part with a material that is substantially invisible to the naked eye;
- exposing the film, the support structure, and the three-dimensional part with the applied marking to solvent to at least partially dissolve the film to remove the support structure with the film from the three-dimensional part, wherein the marking remains applied to the three-dimensional part after removing the support structure;
- reading the marking on the three-dimensional part after removing the support structure;
- and
- performing at least one post-printing operation based on the read marking.
A method for producing three-dimensional parts with a printing farm, the method comprising:
- operating multiple additive manufacturing systems of the printing farm to print the three-dimensional parts and associated support structures onto soluble build sheets;
- marking each three-dimensional part with information relating to the three-dimensional part;
- removing the associated support structures and the soluble build sheets from the printed three-dimensional parts with a solvent in one or more support removal systems;
- reading the markings on the three-dimensional parts after the associated support structures and the soluble build sheets are removed;
- and
- performing one or more post-printing operations on the three-dimensional parts based on the read markings.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.