1021results about "Manufacturing enclosures" patented technology

A method of forming a three-dimensional object is carried out by: (a) providing a carrier and an optically transparent member having a build surface, the carrier and the build surface defining a build region therebetween; (b) filling the build region with a polymerizable liquid, the polymerizable liquid including a mixture of (i) a light polymerizable liquid first component, and (ii) a second solidifiable component that is different from the first component; (c) irradiating the build region with light through the optically transparent member to form a solid polymer scaffold from the first component and also advancing the carrier away from the build surface to form a three-dimensional intermediate having the same shape as, or a shape to be imparted to, the three-dimensional object, and containing the second solidifiable component carried in the scaffold in unsolidified and / or uncured form; and (d) concurrently with or subsequent to the irradiating step, solidifying and / or curing the second solidifiable component in the three-dimensional intermediate to form the three-dimensional object.

A manufacturing assembly has at least a sterilizable chamber containing at least one of a three-dimensional printing device (additive manufacturing), a Computer Numerical Controlled (CNC) finishing head (subtractive manufacturing), a vacuum-forming unit, an injection-molding unit, a laser-cutting unit, a ultrasonic-welding unit, a robotic arman analysis device, a sampling device or a combination thereof. A plurality of individual sterilizable chambers may be aseptically connected into a network of sterilizable chambers that provides additional functionality for the manufacturing assembly. A sterilizable printer assembly may include at least one printing head, a printing platform, and a driving mechanism adapted to perform a movement of the at least one printing head relative to the printing platform along three degrees of freedom; a printer housing enclosing the printer assembly in a sterile manner, at least one aseptic connector fluidly connected to a corresponding one of the at least one printing head.

A stereolithography apparatus includes a supporting frame assembly, a tank supported on the supporting frame assembly, a vertically moving module, and a build platform. The tank has an anchored portion anchored to the supporting frame assembly. The build platform is vertically moved relative to the tank by the vertically moving module. After a resin layer is solidified and adhered to the bottom of the tank and the build platform, the tank is peeled away from the resin layer starting from a portion of the resin layer adjacent to the anchored portion and partially moves upward relative to the supporting frame assembly around the anchored portion when the build platform leaves the supporting frame assembly. To further reduce the separation force between the cured resin layer and the tank, the bottom of the tank is covered with materials that are transparent, chemically resistant, impact resistant or / and elastic.

The present invention relates to a method for removing moisture from powder to be used in an additive manufacturing process for forming a three-dimensional article through successive fusion of parts of at least one layer of a powder bed provided on a work table, which parts corresponds to successive cross sections of the three-dimensional article, characterized in that said method comprising the steps of: providing at least a first powder tank and at least at least a second powder tank, providing a predetermined amount of powder on a movable table inside said first powder tank, heating the top surface of the powder in said first powder tank to a predetermined temperature interval for removing moisture from said powder, raising said movable table a predetermined distance, moving a predetermined thickness of the powder material from said first powder tank to said second powder tank.

A polymeric material that is capable of being employed as a build material and / or support material in a three-dimensional printer system is provided. The polymeric material is formed from a thermoplastic composition containing a continuous phase that includes a matrix polymer. A microinclusion additive and nanoinclusion additive are dispersed within the continuous phase in the form of discrete domains.

An apparatus for bottom-up fabrication of three dimensional objects, the apparatus comprising: a vat for a photosensitive polymer, the floor of the vat including a working surface arranged such that, in use, light incident on the working surface interacts with the photosensitive polymer at the working surface to fabricate a portion of the three dimensional object; a build platform capable of being inserted into the vat, the build platform having a planar surface; an elevator mechanism capable of adjusting the separation between the working surface of the vat and the planar surface of the build platform; and a rotation mechanism capable of varying the relative rotational position of the vat relative to the build platform, the relative rotation being about an axis which is normal to the working surface of the vat.

A polymerizable liquid, or resin, useful for the production by additive manufacturing of a three-dimensional object of polyurethane, polyurea, or a copolymer thereof, is described. The resin includes at least one of (i) a blocked or reactive blocked prepolymer, (ii) a blocked or reactive blocked diisocyanate, or (iii) a blocked or reactive blocked diisocyanate chain extender.

A method of forming a three-dimensional object of polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof is carried out by: (a) providing a carrier and an optically transparent member having a build surface, the carrier and the build surface defining a build region therebetween; (b) filling the build region with a polymerizable liquid, the polymerizable liquid including at least one of: (i) a blocked or reactive blocked prepolymer, (ii) a blocked or reactive blocked diisocyanate, or (iii) a blocked or reactive blocked diisocyanate chain extender; (c) irradiating the build region with light through the optically transparent member to form a solid blocked polymer scaffold and advancing the carrier away from the build surface to form a three-dimensional intermediate having the same shape as, or a shape to be imparted to, the three-dimensional object, with the intermediate containing the chain extender; and then (d) heating or microwave irradiating the three-dimensional intermediate sufficiently to form from the three-dimensional intermediate the three-dimensional object of polyurethane, polyurea, or copolymer thereof.

An apparatus and method for making a three-dimensional object from a solidifiable material using a linear solidification device is shown and described. The apparatus includes a solidification substrate that is tiltable relative to a film about a tilting axis. Layers of the solidifiable material solidify in contact with a film located between the most recently solidified object layer and a solidification substrate that comprises the solidification substrate assembly. The tilting of the solidification substrate relative to the film allows the substrate to be used to squeeze excess solidifiable material from between the film and the most recently solidified object surface while minimizing or eliminating the formation of bubbles in the solidifiable material which can prolong object build times. In addition, tilting the solidification substrate before separating an adhered object surface from the film breaks any vacuum formed between the substrate and the film which reduces the forces involved in separating the object form the film.

A powder dispenser (14) has a vertical channel (55), which, at the top, is adapted to communicate with a tank for receiving the powder and inferiorly ends at an opening (26), which is elongated along a horizontal direction and comprises an outlet portion (51) for letting the powder fall; the dispenser further has a shutter device (50) for varying the length of the outlet portion (51) with respect to the total length of the opening (26) along its horizontal axis (36).

A three-dimensional printer (1) includes a material supply device (3) that supplies material powder to a table which is movable vertically, a powder retaining wall (26) that surrounds the table and retains the material powder, a material-recovery bucket (30) that accommodates excess material powder and impurities discharged from the powder retaining wall, an impurity removing device (43) that removes the impurities from the material powder, and a material drying device (47) that dries the material powder. The material powder from which the impurities have been removed and which has been dried is returned and recycled to the material supply device.

Apparatus for producing a three-dimensional object layer by layer using a powdery material which can be solidified by irradiating it with an energy beam, said apparatus comprising: a working area onto which layers of powdery material are to be placed; a powder storage unit, where said base surface is supporting a supply of powder in said powder storage unit; a powder distribution member, a pivoted powder pushing device for bringing a portion of powder from said base surface to a position between said distribution member and said working area, said distribution member further being arranged to be moveable towards and across the working area so as to distribute the portion of powder onto the working area, wherein a first portion of said pivoted powder pushing device is movable under said distribution member. An associated method and computer program product are also provided.

A pivoted powder pushing device is provided, comprising a first portion and a contact member, wherein: the contact member is configured to operatively engage a grip arm of the distribution member when the distribution member is positioned at least in part above the base surface, and the first portion is moved via the engagement of the grip arm and the contact member in a first direction opposite a direction of travel of the distribution member, such that the first portion of said pivoted powder pushing devicepasses under said distribution member. An associated apparatus, method, and computer program product are also provided.

A three-dimensional printing apparatus including a tank, a moving platform, a light source disposed below the tank, a detecting unit and a control unit is provided. The tank is filled with a liquid forming material and a separating liquid, wherein the specific density of the separating liquid is larger than the specific density of the liquid forming material, so that the separating liquid sinks between the tank and the liquid forming material. The control unit controls an initial depth at which the moving platform immerses into the liquid forming material, so as to form a three-dimensional object. A three-dimensional printing apparatus is also provided, wherein the light source thereof is disposed above the tank, and the specific density of the liquid forming material is larger than the specific density of the separating liquid, so that the liquid forming material sinks between the tank and the separating liquid.

A three-dimensional object-forming apparatus is disclosed, which includes an in-batches powder-rationing tank system, a construction tank system, a printing powder-applying system, a rapid drying heating system, a printing maintenance device, a dust-proof device, a successive liquid-supplying device, a powder auto-filtrating and recycling device, and a print quality detection device.

The invention in particular relates to a machine (1) for additive manufacturing that frits or melts powder (2) using an energy beam (3) acting on a powder layer (23) in a working zone (4), said machine comprising a device for producing a layer of said powder, said device comprising: means (5) of storing the powder; means (6) for distributing the powder, which means is able to travel over the working zone in order to distribute the powder in a layer (23) having a final thickness (24) tailored to the additive manufacturing; feeding means (7) able to transfer the powder from the storage means (5) to the distributing means (6); and dosing means (8) able to control the amount of powder transferred from the storage means (5) to the distributing means (6), said machine being characterised in that: the storing means (5) are located above the working zone (4); the feeding means (7) are gravitational feeding means; and the feeding means (7) and the dosing means (8) are able to move with the distributing means (6).

An apparatus and method for making a three-dimensional object from a solidifiable material using a linear solidification device is shown and described. The apparatus includes a solidification substrate that is tiltable relative to a film about a tilting axis. Layers of the solidifiable material solidify in contact with a film located between the most recently solidified object layer and a solidification substrate that comprises the solidification substrate assembly. The tilting of the solidification substrate relative to the film allows the substrate to be used to squeeze excess solidifiable material from between the film and the most recently solidified object surface while minimizing or eliminating the formation of bubbles in the solidifiable material which can prolong object build times. In addition, tilting the solidification substrate before separating an adhered object surface from the film breaks any vacuum formed between the substrate and the film which reduces the forces involved in separating the object form the film.

An additive manufacturing machine is offered which can stably supply a powdered material onto a support stage and can suppress contamination of the interior of a processing chamber with the powdered material. The additive manufacturing machine (1) has the support stage (4) and a powder supply unit (7). The supply unit (7) has powder cartridges (21) and holding mechanisms (22) by which the cartridges (21) are detachably held. Each cartridge (21) has a cartridge body (26) for receiving an amount of powdered material (M1) to be spread tightly as one or plural layers on the stage (4) and an exhaust port (26a) through which the powdered material (M1) received in the cartridge body (26) is discharged.

Full-automatic microelectronic printer comprising a printing platform, a control component, a feeding component, a camera component, a machine vision device, an ink droplet observation device, and a CAD / CAM system. The printing platform comprises a four-axis linkage system, a printing worktable, a base, a protective housing, an automatic ink cartridge turning device, and an automatic cleaning device; the feeding component comprises a switching control device, an ink cartridge, and an auxiliary processing component; the control component comprises a core control integrated circuit board, a plurality of drive control circuit boards, and a control module interface. The feeding component switches the ink cartridges and the auxiliary processing components to the printing platform in response to the control component which drives the ink cartridges and auxiliary processing components to print, and the protective housing removes fine particles and gas odors. CAD / CAM system assists in designing, generating, and sending instruction to the control component, printing platform, and feeding component to operate and realize full-automatic multi-layer printing.

Methods to fabricate objects by 3D printing of poly-4-hydroxybutyrate (P4HB) and copolymers thereof have been developed. In one method, these objects are produced by continuous fused filament fabrication using an apparatus and conditions that overcome the problems of poor feeding of the filament resulting from the low softening temperature of the filament and heat creep along the fed filament. Methods using an apparatus including a heat sink, a melt tube, a heating block and nozzle, and a transition zone between the heat sink and heating block, with the melt tube extending through the heat sink, transition zone, and heat block to the nozzle are disclosed. 3D objects are also printed by fused pellet deposition (FPD), melt extrusion deposition (MED), selective laser melting (SLM), printing of slurries and solutions using a coagulation bath, and printing using a binding solution and polymer granules.

A three-dimensional printing system and equipment assembly for the manufacture of three-dimensionally printed articles is provided. The equipment assembly includes a three-dimensional printing build system, an optional liquid removal system and an optional harvester system. The build system includes a conveyor, plural build modules and at least one build station having a powder-layering system and a printing system. The equipment assembly can be used to manufacture pharmaceutical, medical, and non-pharmaceutical / non-medical objects. It can be used to prepare single or multiple articles.

There is provided a three-dimensional manufacturing apparatus which is characterized by comprising: a container configured to hold a liquid photocurable resin; a base configured to support a solid manufactured object obtained by curing the liquid photocurable resin; a moving unit configured to move the base; and a light source unit configured to irradiate light for curing the liquid photocurable resin. The container comprises a light transmission portion which is provided between the light source unit and the base, and is in contact with the liquid photocurable resin. The three-dimensional manufacturing apparatus further comprises a flow facilitating unit configured to facilitate a flow of the photocurable resin which is in contact with the light transmission portion, the flow being attended by the movement of the base.

A stereolithography apparatus includes a supporting frame assembly, a tank supported on the supporting frame assembly, a vertically moving module, and a build platform. The tank has an anchored portion anchored to the supporting frame assembly. The build platform is vertically moved relative to the tank by the vertically moving module. After a resin layer is solidified and adhered to the bottom of the tank and the build platform, the tank is peeled away from the resin layer starting from a portion of the resin layer adjacent to the anchored portion and partially moves upward relative to the supporting frame assembly around the anchored portion when the build platform leaves the supporting frame assembly. To further reduce the separation force between the cured resin layer and the tank, the bottom of the tank is covered with materials that are transparent, chemically resistant, impact resistant or / and elastic.

A system is described for layered construction of a body made of a light-curable substance. The system comprises a tray made of resilient material for receiving the substance in a liquid or pasty state, a light source for regionally selective curing of the layer of the substance lying on the tray base, a construction platform arranged above the tray base and capable of being lowered and raised relative thereto for adhering to and lifting the cured substance layer, a tensioning means configured to exert tension or compression onto the tray, and a control means controlling the tensioning means and the construction platform accordingly. A tray is also described for use in a system of this type.

The invention relates to a liquid tank device, a three-dimensional printing device provided therewith and a printing model separating method. The liquid tank device comprises a fixed platform; a supporting structure comprising a pallet and a light-transmitting plate; a liquid tank structure comprising a liquid tank body and a separation membrane; and a pneumatic separation mechanism for introducing a gas between the separation membrane and the light-transmitting plate, or extracting a gas between the separation membrane and a support structure out; wherein the separation membrane and the support structure together form a venting gap. The pneumatic separation mechanism can supply the gas into the venting gap between the separation membrane and the support structure to deform the separationmembrane so as to separate the separation membrane from the light-transmitting plate to break vacuum environment between the separation membrane and the light-transmitting plate. Therefore, the separation membrane can be deformed following a printing layer due to the ductility of the separation membrane, and the printing layer can be finally separated from the separation membrane easily. When thepneumatic separation mechanism evacuates the gas in the venting gap between the separation membrane and the support structure, the separation membrane can be reattached to the light-transmitting plateto prepare for next printing.

In one aspect of the present invention, a cartridge for use in a three dimensional (3-D) printer is described. Another aspect of the invention relates to a 3-D printer that is arranged to engage the cartridge. Various embodiments relate to devices, methods, software and systems related to the above cartridge and / or printer.