Apparatuses for three-dimensional printing

A system for printing a three-dimensional object, comprising:

• a container configured to support a material bed comprising an exposed surface, a pre-transformed material, and a bottom skin layer of hardened material, wherein at least a fraction of the pre-transformed material is disposed above the bottom skin layer, wherein the bottom skin layer is part of the three-dimensional object;
• an energy source configured to generate an energy beam that transforms at least a portion of the at least the fraction of the pre-transformed material to a transformed material as part of the three-dimensional object, wherein the energy source is disposed adjacent to the material bed;
• and
• one or more controllers operatively coupled to the energy source, which one or more controllers are individually or collectively programmed to direct the energy beam to:
• (I) transform the at least a portion of the pre-transformed material to form a first portion of transformed material at or above the bottom skin layer that comprises a second portion of transformed material, which first portion of transformed material at least partially overlaps the second portion of transformed material along a lateral dimension of the bottom skin layer;
• and
• (II) increase a temperature of the second portion of transformed material under heating conditions sufficient to yield a target temperature value that is one or more of (i) above a solidus temperature of a material of the bottom skin layer and below a liquidus temperature of the material of the bottom skin layer, and (ii) at or above a temperature at which the material of the bottom skin layer in the second portion of transformed material plastically yields.

A system for printing a three-dimensional object, comprising:

• a platform configured to support a target surface and a bottom skin layer of hardened material that is a part of the three-dimensional object, wherein the bottom skin layer is disposed above the platform;
• a material dispenser configured to dispense a pre-transformed material towards the target surface through an opening of the material dispenser, wherein the material dispenser is disposed adjacent to the target surface;
• an energy source configured to generate an energy beam that transforms at least a portion of the pre-transformed material at or adjacent to the target surface, wherein the energy source is disposed adjacent to the target surface;
• and
• one or more controllers operatively coupled to the energy source, wherein the one or more controllers are individually or collectively programmed to:
• (I) direct the energy beam to transform the at least the portion of the pre-transformed material at or adjacent to the target surface to a transformed material portion disposed above the bottom skin layer, and
• (II) control at least one characteristic of the energy beam such that a temperature of the hardened material at the bottom skin layer below the transformed material portion is one or more of (i) above a solidus temperature of a material of the bottom skin layer and below a liquidus temperature of the material of the bottom skin layer, and (ii) at or above a temperature at which a material in the bottom skin layer plastically yields.

A system for printing a three-dimensional object, comprising:

• a container configured to support a material bed comprising an exposed surface, a pre-transformed material, and a bottom skin layer of hardened material, wherein at least a fraction of the pre-transformed material is disposed above the bottom skin layer, wherein the bottom skin layer is part of the three-dimensional object;
• an energy source configured to generate an energy beam that transforms at least a portion of the at least the fraction of the pre-transformed material to a transformed material as part of the three-dimensional object, wherein the energy source is disposed adjacent to the material bed;
• and
• one or more controllers operatively coupled to the energy source, which one or more controllers are individually or collectively programmed to:
• (I) transform the at least the portion of the pre-transformed material to a transformed material portion, and
• (II) control at least one characteristic of the energy beam such that a temperature of the hardened material at the bottom skin layer below the transformed material portion is one or more of (i) above a solidus temperature of a material of the bottom skin layer and below a liquidus temperature of the material of the bottom skin layer, and (ii) at or above a temperature at which the material of the bottom skin layer plastically yields.