System and method for direct inkjet printing of 3D objects

Abstract

A direct inkjet printing system for fabricating a part by an additive manufacturing process includes an ink delivery system operative to circulate the ink, a printhead associated with the ink delivery system, the printhead operative to dispense ink from the ink delivery system through a plurality of nozzles and based on a defined pattern, a building table for receiving the dispensed ink one layer at a time based on the defined pattern, wherein the part is formed from a plurality of layers of the ink dispensed from the printhead and a drying station operative to perform a drying process on layers of the ink dispensed from the printhead on a per layer basis.

Description

FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to additive manufacturing and / or 3D printing and, more particularly, but not exclusively, to 3D printing for rapid manufacturing.[0002]A number of different processes for fabricating solid objects by 3D printing are known. Typically, the processes successively print layers of material in different shapes based on a 3D model of the object. The different processes typically differ in the way layers are deposited and in the materials that can be used.[0003]U.S. Pat. No. 6,322,728 entitled “Mass production of dental restorations by solid free-form fabrication methods,” the contents of which is incorporated herein by reference, describes processes for manufacturing dental restorations. One process includes ink-jet printing a binder into selected areas of sequentially deposited layers of powder. Each layer is created by spreading a thin layer of powder over the surface of a powder bed. I...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008]According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present invention there is provided a system and method for manufacturing ceramic, metal and/or high quality polymer parts using a direct inkjet printing process. According to some embodiments of the present invention, the ceramic, metal and/or high quality polymer parts are fabricated with ink formulated with a high volume percentage of high density pigment and/or particles such as ceramic powder, encapsulated metal micro-p

Problems solved by technology

One source of operation failure of inkjet printers used for printing on paper can be caused by sedimentation and evaporation of components in the ink being dispensed through the nozzles and/or orifices.

For example during periods of non-use, the ink that is retained in the print head

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