Platen planarizing process for additive manufacturing system
AssigneeStratsys, Inc.
InventorsJoseph E. LaBossiere, Michael D. Bosveld, Dominic F. Mannella, William J. Swanson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for printing a three-dimensional part with an additive manufacturing system, the method comprising generating and printing a planarizing part having a substantially-planar top surface relative to a build plane, and a bottom surface that substantially mirrors a topography of a platen surface, and printing the three-dimensional part over the substantially-planar top surface of the printed planarizing part.
Claims19
A method for printing a three-dimensional part with an additive manufacturing system having a platen with a platen surface, the method comprising:
- measuring heights of multiple points of the platen surface, wherein the measured heights provide a mapped topography of the platen surface;
- calculating a height of a planarizing part as a function of the measured heights;
- generating a digital model of the planarizing part based on the calculated height and the mapped topography of the platen surface;
- slicing the digital model of the planarizing part into multiple layers;
- printing the planarizing part with the additive manufacturing system in a layer by layer manner based on the sliced generated digital model of the planarizing part, the printed planarizing part including a printed layer forming a substantially-planar top surface in a build plane, and one or more printed layers forming a bottom surface that contacts the platen surface and substantially mirrors the mapped topography of the platen surface, wherein the bottom surface of the printed planarization part is non-parallel to the top surface of the printed planarizing part;
- and
- printing the three-dimensional part on the substantially-planar top surface of the printed planarizing part.
A method for printing a three-dimensional part with an additive manufacturing system having a platen with a platen surface, the method comprising:
- measuring heights of multiple points of the platen surface, wherein the measured heights provide a mapped topography of the platen surface;
- determining a peak height based on the measured heights;
- calculating a height for a planarizing part as a function of the determined peak height and at least one slice thickness for the planarizing part;
- generating a digital model of the planarizing part having a substantially-planar top surface at the calculated height, and a bottom surface that mirrors the mapped topography of the platen surface;
- slicing the digital model of the planarizing part into multiple layers;
- and
- printing the planarizing part in a layer by layer manner with the additive manufacturing system based on the generated and sliced digital model of the planarizing part, the printed planarizing part including a substantially-planar top surface in a build plane, and a bottom surface that contacts the platen surface and substantially mirrors the mapped topography of the platen surface, wherein the bottom surface of the printed planarization part is non-parallel to the top surface of the printed planarizing part.
An object printed with an additive manufacturing system having a platen with a platen surface, the object comprising:
- a three-dimensional part;
- optionally, a support structure for the three-dimensional part, wherein the three-dimensional part and the optional support structure have a bounding box in a build plane;
- and
- a planarizing part comprising:
- a top surface on which one or both of the three-dimensional part and the optional support structure are printed, wherein the top surface is formed by a printed layer and is substantially planar in the build plane;
- a bottom surface that contacts the platen surface and substantially mirrors a topography of the platen surface, wherein the bottom surface is formed of one or more printed layers and is non-parallel to the top surface of the planarizing part;
- and
- a cross-section in the build plane defined at least in part by the bounding box.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.