Additive manufacturing devices and methods for three-dimensional printing

Abstract

Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide additive manufacturing devices and methods for 3D printing appliances. The additive manufacturing devices may include a light source assembly and a material tank. The light source assembly may be configured to provide light to cure one or more printing materials. The material tank may include a plurality of compartments, and each of the plurality of compartments may be configured to accommodate one of the one or more printing materials. Each of the plurality of compartments may be provided with a light-transmissive window, and light transmittances of light-transmissive windows of at least two compartments of the plurality of compartments may be different.

Description

Attorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING DEVICES AND METHODS FOR THREE-DIMENSIONALPRINTINGCROSS-REFERENCE TO REEATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 700,854, filed on September 30, 2024, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to the field of three-dimensional (3D) printing, and more particularly, relates to additive manufacturing devices and methods for 3D printing appliances.BACKGROUND

[0003] With the advancement of science and technology, 3D printing techniques have become increasingly significant in the dental field, for example, in the fabrication of dental appliances. However, because the functions, positions, usage conditions, etc., of different dental appliances within the oral environment are different, each dental appliance requires a specialized material with tailored properties. For example, dental crowns require a material exhibiting exceptionally high strength and durability to withstand chewing pressure, while night grinding guards require a material that is flexible and comfortable to wear. Accordingly, a single material (e.g., a single resin material) is insufficient to satisfy the diverse requirements of various dental appliances, thereby necessitating frequent material changes during the printing process or restricting an additive manufacturing device to operate with only one type of material or print only one type of dental appliance.

[0004] Changing the material in the additive manufacturing device typically involves emptying the material from a material tank of the additive manufacturing device, cleaning the material tank, refilling the material tank with a different material, and recalibrating the additive manufacturing device. These operations are cumbersome, time-consuming, and reduce fabrication efficiency. On the other hand, restricting the additive manufacturing device to the single material results in idle resource utilization and increased fabrication costs. Therefore, it is desirable to provide additive manufacturing devices and methods for simultaneously printing different dental appliances using multiple materials.SUMMARY

[0005] In an aspect of the present disclosure, a material tank for 3D printing is provided. The material tank may include a plurality of compartments, and each of the plurality of compartments may be configured to accommodate a printing material. Each of the plurality of compartments may be provided with a light- transmissive window, and light transmittances of light-transmissive windows of at least two compartments of the plurality of compartments may be different.

[0006] In another aspect of the present disclosure, an additive manufacturing device is provided. The additive manufacturing devices may include a light source assembly and a material tank. The light source assembly may be configured to provide light to cure one or more printing materials. The material tank may include a plurality of compartments, and each of the plurality of compartments may be configured toAttorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00 accommodate one of the one or more printing materials. Each of the plurality of compartments may be provided with a light-transmissive window, and light transmittances of light-transmissive windows of at least two compartments of the plurality of compartments may be different.

[0007] In still another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for 3D printing is provided. The method may be applied to an additive manufacturing device. The additive manufacturing device may include a light source assembly and a material tank including a plurality of compartments configured to accommodate printing materials. The method may comprise: obtaining digital models representing a plurality of appliances; determining target printing materials used for fabricating the plurality of appliances; determining at least one target printing parameter for fabricating the plurality of appliances; determining target light transmittances of light-transmissive windows of the plurality of compartments based on at least one physical property of each of the target printing materials and the at least one target printing parameter; determining the material tank based on the target light transmittances of the light-transmissive windows of the plurality of compartments; causing the target printing materials to be fdled into the plurality of compartments, respectively; and causing the additive manufacturing device to simultaneously print the plurality of appliances based on the at least one target printing parameter and the digital models.

[0008] In yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for 3D printing is provided. The method may be applied to an additive manufacturing device. The additive manufacturing device may include a light source assembly and a material tank including a plurality of compartments configured to accommodate printing materials. The method may comprise: obtaining digital models representing a plurality of appliances; determining target printing materials used for fabricating the plurality of appliances; determining target light transmittances of light-transmissive windows of the plurality of compartments based on at least one target physical property of each of the target printing materials; determining at least one target printing parameter for fabricating the plurality of appliances based on the at least one target physical property of each of the target printing materials and the target light transmittances of the light-transmissive windows of the plurality of compartments; determining at least one target printing parameter for fabricating the plurality of appliances; determining target light transmittances of light-transmissive windows of the plurality of compartments based on at least one physical property of each of the target printing materials and the at least one target printing parameter; determining the material tank based on the target light transmittances of the light-transmissive windows of the plurality of compartments; causing the target printing materials to be filled into the plurality of compartments, respectively; and causing the additive manufacturing device to simultaneously print the plurality of appliances based on the at least one target printing parameter and the digital models.

[0009] Additional features will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following and the accompanying drawings or may be learned by production or operation of the examples. The features of the present disclosure may be realized and attained by practice or use of various aspects of the methodologies, instrumentalities, and combinations set forth in the detailed examples discussed below.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The present disclosure is further described in terms of exemplary embodiments. These exemplary embodiments are described in detail with reference to the drawings. These embodiments are non-limitingAttorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00 exemplary embodiments, in which like reference numerals represent similar structures throughout the several views of the drawings, and wherein:

[0011] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary system for three-dimensional (3D) printing according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0012] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary additive manufacturing device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0013] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary material tank according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0014] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary material tank according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0015] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary build platform according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0016] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary build platform according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0017] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary additive manufacturing device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0018] FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary processing device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0019] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process for simultaneously printing a plurality of appliances according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0020] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process for determining a target light transmittance of a light-transmissive window of one of a plurality of compartments according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0021] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process for simultaneously printing a plurality of appliances according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

[0022] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary computing device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth by way of examples in order to provide a thorough understanding of the relevant disclosure. However, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be practiced without such details. In other instances, well- known methods, procedures, systems, components, and / or circuitry have been described at a relatively high level, without detail, in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring aspects of the present disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosed embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments shown, but to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the claims.

[0024] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended toAttorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00 include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprise,” “comprises,” and / or “comprising,” “include,” “includes,” and / or “including,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0025] It will be understood that when a unit, engine, module, or block is referred to as being “on,” “connected to,” or “coupled to,” another unit, engine, module, or block, it may be directly on, connected or coupled to, or communicate with the other unit, engine, module, or block, or an intervening unit, engine, module, or block may be present, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0026] It will be understood that, although the terms “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of example embodiments of the present invention.

[0027] Spatial and functional relationships between elements (for example, between layers) are described using various terms, including “connected,” “engaged,” “interfaced,” and “coupled.” Unless explicitly described as being “direct,” when a relationship between first and second elements is described in the present disclosure, that relationship includes a direct relationship where no other intervening elements are present between the first and second elements, and also an indirect relationship where one or more intervening elements are present (either spatially or functionally) between the first and second elements. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly” connected, engaged, interfaced, or coupled to another element, there are no intervening elements present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.).

[0028] Spatial related terms, such as “below,” “lower,” “lower part,” “above,” “upper part,” etc., are used herein to describe relationship between elements or components shown in the drawings and one or more other elements or components. It should be understood that, in addition to the orientation depicted in the drawings, the spatially related terms are also intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation. For example, if a device in the drawings is reversed, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or components will be oriented “above” the other elements or components. Thus, the exemplary term "below" can include both an orientation of above and below. The device can be oriented in other ways (rotated by 90 degrees or other orientations) and correspondingly interpret the spatially related descriptors used herein. Similarly, unless explicitly indicated otherwise, the terms “upward,” “downward,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” etc. are used herein for explanation only.

[0029] These and other features, and characteristics of the present disclosure, as well as the methods of operation and functions of the related elements of structure and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, may become more apparent upon consideration of the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this disclosure. It is to be expressly understood, however,Attorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00 that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. It is understood that the drawings are not to scale.

[0030] The field of dental dentures has seen a remarkable evolution over the years, with technology playing a pivotal role in enhancing the quality, efficiency, and convenience of dental restorations. Dental appliances have traditionally been produced using labor-intensive and time-consuming processes.

[0031] Historically, the fabrication of the dental appliances has primarily relied on obtaining physical dental models, typically through the use of dental impressions. The physical model is then used to manually craft the required dental appliance. This conventional method, while effective, has several drawbacks. It is slow, requiring multiple appointments over several weeks to complete the process. It is also labor-intensive, requiring skilled dental technicians to manually craft each appliance, a process that is prone to human error. Additionally, the materials used in this process, such as plaster for the models and various metals and ceramics for the appliances themselves, can be environmentally unfriendly, contributing to waste and pollution.

[0032] The advent of 3D printing technology presents a promising solution to these challenges. 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is a process of creating a three-dimensional object from a digital file, typically by laying down many thin layers of a material until the object is created. This technology has the potential to revolutionize the field of dental dentures by enabling direct printing of dental appliances.

[0033] Direct 3D printing of dental appliances addresses the aforementioned challenges associated with traditional methods. It significantly reduces the time and labor required to produce dental appliances by eliminating the need for physical dental models and manual crafting. Instead, a digital model of the patient’s dentition is created, and the dental appliance is printed directly from this model. This process is faster, more accurate, and less prone to error than traditional methods. Furthermore, 3D printing is more environmentally friendly, as it uses less material and produces less waste than traditional methods. The direct 3D printing of dental appliances represents a significant advancement in the field of dental dentures, offering a faster, more accurate, less labor-intensive, and more environmentally friendly alternative to traditional methods. This technology has the potential to revolutionize the production of a wide range of dental appliances, improving the quality of care for patients and the efficiency of dental practices.

[0034] Despite the numerous advantages of direct 3D printing for dental appliances, the process is not without its challenges. One of the primary hurdles lies in the diversity of dental appliances and their varied functional requirements, structural complexities, and material considerations. Each dental appliance, from dental crowns and bridges to night guards and surgical guides, serves a unique purpose and operates under different conditions within the oral environment. This requires the use of specific materials that are suitable for each application. For instance, a dental crown may require a material with high strength and durability to withstand the forces of biting and chewing, while a night guard may need a material that is soft and comfortable for the patient to wear.

[0035] In the context of 3D printing, these materials are often in the form of resins. However, due to the diverse requirements of different dental appliances, a single type of resin is seldom universal for all applications. This necessitates the use of different resins for printing different appliances, which introduces a significant challenge in the manufacturing process. Changing the resin in a 3D printer is not a straightforward task. It often involves labor-intensive procedures such as draining the existing resin, cleaning the resin tank, refilling the tank with the new resin, and recalibrating the printer. This process can be time-consuming andAttorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00 may disrupt the workflow, particularly in a busy dental laboratory where multiple appliances are being produced concurrently.

[0036] In order to solve the above problems, the present disclosure provides additive manufacturing devices and methods for simultaneously printing different dental appliances using multiple materials. The additive manufacturing devices may include a light source assembly and a material tank. The light source assembly may be configured to provide light to cure one or more printing materials. The material tank may include a plurality of compartments, and each of the plurality of compartments may be configured to accommodate one of the one or more printing materials. Each of the plurality of compartments may be provided with a light- transmissive window, and light transmittances of light-transmissive windows of at least two compartments of the plurality of compartments may be different.

[0037] By disposing the different light transmittances, printing parameters corresponding to the same light source assembly can be equivalent to different printing parameters for simultaneously printing different appliances using different printing materials. That is, the single additive manufacturing device can be used to simultaneously print different appliances using the same light source assembly, which avoids necessitating frequent material changes during the printing process or restricting the additive manufacturing device to operate with only one type of material or print only one type of dental appliance, thereby improving printing efficiency and reducing printing costs.

[0038] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary system 100 for three-dimensional (3D) printing according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0039] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the system 100 for 3D printing (also referred to as a 3D printing system) may include an additive manufacturing device 110, a network 120, at least one terminal device 130, a processing device 140, and a storage device 150. The components of the system 100 may be connected in one or more of various ways. For example, the additive manufacturing device 110 may be connected to the processing device 140 through the network 120. As another example, the additive manufacturing device 110 may be connected to the processing device 140 directly (as indicated by the bi-directional arrow in dotted lines linking the additive manufacturing device 110 and the processing device 140).

[0040] The additive manufacturing device 110 may be configured to print one or more appliances (e.g., dental appliances) layer by layer by irradiating one or more printing materials (i.e., liquid photopolymer resin) using light (e.g., ultraviolet). For example, the additive manufacturing device 110 may fabricate a dental appliance by adding the printing material layer by layer. As another example, the additive manufacturing device 110 may simultaneously print a plurality of appliances using one or more printing materials.

[0041] In some embodiments, the additive manufacturing device 110 may be a 3D printer. Exemplary 3D printers may include a digital light processing (DLP) printer, a liquid crystal display (LCD) printer, a stereo lithography (SLA) printer, or the like, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the additive manufacturing device 110 may include a light source assembly and a material tank. More descriptions regarding the additive manufacturing device may be found elsewhere in the present disclosure (e.g., FIGs. 2-7 and the descriptions thereof).

[0042] The network 120 may include any suitable network that can facilitate the exchange of information and / or data for the system 100. In some embodiments, one or more components (e.g., the additive manufacturing device 110, the at least one terminal device 130, the processing device 140, the storage deviceAttorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00 150) of the system 100 may communicate with one or more other components of the system 100 via the network 120. In some embodiments, the network 120 may be any type of wired or wireless network, or a combination thereof. Merely by way of example, the network 120 may include a cable network, a wireline network, a fiber-optic network, a telecommunications network, an intranet, a wireless local area network (WLAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a public telephone switched network (PSTN), a Bluetooth™ network, a ZigBee™ network, a near field communication (NFC) network, or the like, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the network 120 may include one or more network access points. For example, the network 120 may include wired and / or wireless network access points such as base stations and / or internet exchange points through which one or more components of the system 100 may be connected to the network 120 to exchange data and / or information.

[0043] The at least one terminal device 130 may include a mobile device 130-1, a tablet computer 130-2, a laptop computer 130-3, or the like, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the mobile device 130- 1 may include a smart home device, a wearable device, a smart mobile device, a virtual reality device, an augmented reality device, or the like, or any combination thereof.

[0044] In some embodiments, the additive manufacturing device 110 and / or the processing device 140 may be remotely operated through the at least one terminal device 130. In some embodiments, the additive manufacturing device 110 and / or the processing device 140 may be operated through the at least one terminal device 130 via a wireless connection. In some embodiments, the at least one terminal device 130 may receive information and / or instructions inputted by a user and send the received information and / or instructions to the additive manufacturing device 110 or the processing device 140 via the network 120. In some embodiments, the at least one terminal device 130 may receive data and / or information from the processing device 140. In some embodiments, the at least one terminal 130 may provide a user interface via which a user may view information and / or input data and / or instructions to the system 100. For example, the at least one terminal 130 may include a display that can display information in a human-readable form, such as text, image, audio, video, graph, animation, or the like, or any combination thereof. The display of the at least one terminal 130 may include a cathode ray tube (CRT) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED) display, a plasma display panel (PDP), a three-dimensional (3D) display, or the like, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the at least one terminal device 130 may be part of the processing device 140. In some embodiments, the at least one terminal device 130 may be omitted.

[0045] The processing device 140 may process data and / or information obtained from the additive manufacturing device 110, the at least one terminal device 130, and / or the storage device 150. For example, the processing device 140 may obtain digital models representing a plurality of appliances. As another example, the processing device 140 may determine target printing materials used for fabricating the plurality of appliances, and determine at least one target printing parameter for fabricating the plurality of appliances. As still another example, the processing device 140 may determine light transmittances of light-transmissive windows of a plurality of compartments based on at least one physical property of the target printing materials, and determine a material tank based on the light transmittances of the light-transmissive windows of the plurality of compartments. As yet another example, the processing device 140 may cause the target printing materials to be filled into the plurality of compartments, respectively, and cause the additive manufacturing device 110 to simultaneously print the plurality of appliances based on the at least one target printingAttorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00 parameter and the digital models. In some embodiments, the processing device 140 may be a single server or a server group. The server group may be centralized or distributed. In some embodiments, the processing device 140 may be local or remote. For example, the processing device 140 may access information and / or data stored in or acquired by the additive manufacturing device 110, the at least one terminal device 130, and / or the storage device 150 via the network 120. As another example, the processing device 140 may be directly connected to the additive manufacturing device 110, the at least one terminal device 130, and / or the storage device 150 to access stored or acquired information and / or data. In some embodiments, the processing device 140 may be implemented on a cloud platform. Merely by way of example, the cloud platform may include a private cloud, a public cloud, a hybrid cloud, a community cloud, a distributed cloud, an inter-cloud, a multicloud, or the like, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the processing device 140 may be integrated into the additive manufacturing device 110.

[0046] The storage device 150 may store data and / or instructions. In some embodiments, the storage device 150 may store data obtained from the additive manufacturing device 110, the at least one terminal device 130, and / or the processing device 140. For example, the storage device 150 may store the digital models, the at least one target printing parameter, the at least one physical property of the target printing materials, the light transmittances of the light-transmissive windows of the plurality of compartments, etc. In some embodiments, the storage device 150 may store data and / or instructions that the processing device 140 may execute or use to perform exemplary methods described in the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the storage device 150 may include a mass storage device, a removable storage device, a volatile read-and-write memory, a read-only memory (ROM), or the like, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the storage device 150 may be implemented on a cloud platform. Merely by way of example, the cloud platform may include a private cloud, a public cloud, a hybrid cloud, a community cloud, a distributed cloud, an inter-cloud, a multi-cloud, or the like, or any combination thereof.

[0047] In some embodiments, the storage device 150 may be connected to the network 120 to communicate with one or more components (e.g., the additive manufacturing device 110, the processing device 140, the at least one terminal device 130) of the system 100. One or more components of the system 100 may access the data or instructions stored in the storage device 150 via the network 120. In some embodiments, the storage device 150 may be directly connected to or communicate with one or more components (e.g., the additive manufacturing device 110, the processing device 140, the at least one terminal device 130) of the system 100. In some embodiments, the storage device 150 may be part of the processing device 140.

[0048] In some embodiments, the system 100 may further include other component(s) (e.g., one or more power supplies, a 3D scanner, etc.) connected to one or more components (e.g., the additive manufacturing device 110, the processing device 140, the at least one terminal device 130, the storage device 150) of the system 100.

[0049] It should be noted that the above description is merely provided for the purposes of illustration, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. For persons having ordinary skills in the art, multiple variations and modifications may be made under the teachings of the present disclosure. Features, structures, methods, and other characteristics of the exemplary embodiments described herein may be combined in various ways to obtain additional and / or alternative exemplary embodiments. However, those variations and modifications do not depart from the scope of the present disclosure.Attorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00

[0050] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary additive manufacturing device 110 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 2, the additive manufacturing device 110 may include a light source assembly 210 and a material tank 220.

[0052] The light source assembly 210 may be configured to provide light (e.g., ultraviolet) to cure one or more printing materials from a liquid state to a solid state.

[0053] In some embodiments, the one or more printing materials (also referred to as 3D printing material(s)) may be used to print at least one appliance. The one or more printing materials may include a resin material, a plastic material, a rubber material, a wax material, or the like, or any combination thereof. For example, the resin material may be a photocurable resin material, and the photocurable resin material may be cured by light beams emitted by the light source assembly 210. Exemplary photocurable resin materials may include acrylate resin, epoxy resin, polyurethane resin, organosilicon resin, ceramic resin, or the like, or any combination thereof.

[0054] In some embodiments, the light source assembly 210 may include at least one operating parameter. Exemplary operating parameters of the light source 210 may include a wavelength of light beams emitted by the light source 210, an intensity of the light beams, a distribution of the light beams, a structure of the light source 210, a power of the light source 210, a size of the light source 210, a response time of the light source 210, or the like, or any combination thereof.

[0055] In some embodiments, a portion of the at least one operating parameter of the light source 210 may be determined based on at least one first physical property of each of the one or more printing materials. A physical property (or a first physical property) of a printing material refers to a characteristic of the printing material that can be observed or measured without changing its chemical identity. Exemplary physical properties of a printing material may include viscosity, density, refractive index, curing shrinkage rate, light transmittance, surface tension, a mechanical property (e.g., tensile strength, elongation at break, hardness, etc.), a critical exposure dose (Ec), a depth of penetration (Dp), a required energy, a photocurable wavelength range, or the like, or any combination thereof.

[0056] For example, the wavelength of the light beams emitted by the light source 210 may be determined based on the photocurable wavelength range of each of the one or more printing materials. The photocurable wavelength range of the printing material refers to a wavelength range that can cure the printing material. For example, the photocurable wavelength range of the printing material may be a range from 10 nanometers (nm) to 440 nm. As another example, the photocurable wavelength range of the printing material may be a range from 100 nm to 420 nm. As still another example, the photocurable wavelength range of the printing material may be a range from 200 nm to 420 nm. As yet another example, the photocurable wavelength range of the printing material may be a range from 380 nm to 420 nm. As yet another example, the photocurable wavelength range of the printing material may be a range from 400 nm to 410 nm.

[0057] Merely by way of example, if the one or more printing materials include a first printing material and a second printing material, a photocurable wavelength range of the first printing material is a range from 200 nm to 440 nm, and a photocurable wavelength range of the second printing material is a range from 300 nm to 540 nm, the wavelength of the light beams emitted by the light source 210 may be within a range from 300 nm to 440 nm.Attorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00

[0058] In some embodiments, the structure of the light source 210 may correspond to one vat polymerization technique. Exemplary vat polymerization techniques may include a stereo lithography (SLA) technique, a liquid crystal display (LCD) technique, a digital light processing (DLP) technique, or the like, or any combination thereof.

[0059] For the SLA technique, the light source assembly 210 may include a laser (serves as a light source, also referred to as an SLA light source) and a galvanometer system (e.g., including galvo mirrors). The laser emits a fine and high-energy ultraviolet laser beam, and the galvanometer system (e.g., two high-speed rotating mirrors) precisely controls a scanning path of the laser beam on a surface of the printing material (e.g., a liquid surface of a resin material). Therefore, one layer of an appliance is scanned and cured point by point, thereby fabricating the appliance layer by layer. At this time, the additive manufacturing device 110 may also be referred to as an SLA printer.

[0060] For the LCD technique, the light source assembly 210may include a light emitting diode (LED) array (e.g., an ultraviolet (UV) LED array) and an LCD screen. The LED array serves as a light source, also referred to as an LCD light source, which is a backlight source, emitting UV light beams of a specific wavelength (e.g., 405 nm). The LCD screen is disposed between the LED array and a material tank (e.g., the material tank 220), and serves as a digital mask. For example, the LCD screen may be a high-resolution monochrome LCD. For each layer of the appliance, a slice image corresponding to the layer is displayed on the LCD screen. If a pixel of the slice image corresponds to a portion of a surface of the printing material that needs to be cured, a pixel value of the pixel is 1. That is, the UV light beams can pass through the pixel to project the printing material. If a pixel of the slice image corresponds to a portion of the surface of the printing material that does not need to be cured, a pixel value of the pixel is 0. That is, the UV light beams can not pass through the pixel to project the printing material. Therefore, the UV light beams pass through the slice image (also referred to as the digital mask) of the LCD screen and project the slice image of the entire layer onto the printing material at once, achieving synchronous curing of the entire layer. At this time, the additive manufacturing device 110 may also be referred to as an LCD printer.

[0061] For the DLP technique, the light source assembly 210 may include an LED (e.g., a UV LED) and a DLP chip (e.g., a digital micromirror device (DMD)). The LED serves as a light source, also referred to as an LED light source. The DLP chip may be composed of hundreds of thousands or even millions of micromirrors, and each micro-mirror corresponds to a pixel of the slice image. By changing an angle of the micromirror, light beams emitted by the LED can be reflected onto the printing material or away from the printing material through the micro-mirror. Therefore, the DLP chip can generate the complete slice image, and project the light beams onto the printing material to cure the entire layer. At this time, the additive manufacturing device 110 may also be referred to as a DLP printer.

[0062] The material tank 220 may be configured to accommodate the one or more printing materials to print a plurality of appliances.

[0063] The material tank 220 may include a plurality of compartments. The count of the plurality of compartments may be determined according to actual requirements. For example, the larger the count is, the more appliances may be simultaneously printed, but the more complexity and difficulty may be. Therefore, the count of the plurality of compartments may be within a range from 2 to 10, such as, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, etc. ItAttorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00 should be noted that the count of the plurality of compartments refers to a count that can be simultaneously accommodated in the material tank 220.

[0064] In some embodiments, each of the plurality of compartments may be configured to accommodate one of the one or more printing materials. In some embodiments, at least two compartments among the plurality of compartments may be configured to accommodate the same printing material or different printing materials. For instance, a portion of the plurality of compartments may accommodate acrylate resin, and another portion of the plurality of compartments may accommodate epoxy resin. As another example, all the plurality of compartments may accommodate acrylate resin.

[0065] In some embodiments, the at least two compartments among the plurality of compartments may not be in fluid communication with each other. That is, the printing materials in the at least two compartments may not circulate with each other.

[0066] In some embodiments, at least one compartment among the plurality of compartments may be detachably connected to a frame of the material tank 200. In other words, each of the at least one compartment may have a corresponding housing, and not be in fluid communication with remaining compartments among the plurality of compartments. Exemplary detachable connections between the at least one compartment and the frame of the material tank 200 may include a glue connection, a welding connection, a thread connection, a socket connection, a groove connection, or the like, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, a material of the at least one compartment may be the same as or different from a material of the frame. Exemplary materials of the at least one compartment or the frame of the material tank 200 may include a metal material (e.g., stainless steel, aluminum alloy, etc.), tempered glass, a high-molecular material (e.g., polyoxymethylene (POM), polypropylene (PP), polycarbonate (PC), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), etc.), or the like, or any combination thereof.

[0067] In some embodiments, two adjacent compartments among the plurality of compartments may be separated by a separating wall. For example, the plurality of compartments and corresponding separating wall(s) may be formed by the frame of the material tank 200. That is, the plurality of compartments, the corresponding separating wall(s), and the frame may be integrally formed. As another example, a chamber may be defined by the frame of the material tank 200, and the corresponding separating wall(s) may be mounted on the frame to divide the chamber into the plurality of compartments. At this time, the corresponding separating wall(s) may be detachably connected to the frame of the material tank 200. Exemplary detachable connections between the separating wall(s) and frame of the material tank 200 may include a glue connection, a welding connection, a thread connection, a socket connection, a groove connection, or the like, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the detachable connection between the separating wall(s) and frame of the material tank 200 may be the same as or different from the detachable connection between the at least one compartment and frame of the material tank 200. In some embodiments, a material of the separating wall(s) may be the same as or different from the material of the frame of the material tank 200 and / or the material of the at least one compartment.

[0068] In some embodiments, at least one of the separating wall(s) may be removable relative to the frame of the material tank 200. The position of the at least one of the separating wall(s) may be determined based on sizes of the plurality of appliances. For instance, the size of each of the plurality of compartments may beAttorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00 adjusted based on the sizes of the plurality of appliances, and the position of the at least one of the separating wall(s) may be determined based on the size of each of the plurality of compartments.

[0069] By designing the removable separating wall(s), the sizes of the plurality of compartments can be adjusted based on the sizes of the plurality of appliances, thereby improving the application range of the material tank 220 and the additive manufacturing device 110.

[0070] In some embodiments, at least one of the separating wall(s) may include a fixing component. The fixing component may be configured to fix the at least one of the separating wall(s) to the frame of the material tank 200. For example, the fixing component may include a latch, a fastener, a bolt, or the like, or any combination thereof.

[0071] By introducing the fixing component, the separating wall can be fixed to the desired position, thereby improving the stability of the separating wall during the 3D printing.

[0072] In some embodiments, each of the plurality of compartments may be provided with a light- transmissive window. For example, the light-transmissive window may be disposed at a bottom portion of the compartment, so as to seal the bottom portion of the compartment. The bottom portion of the compartment refers to a portion of the compartment bearing the printing material. For example, the bottom portion of the compartment may be a portion of the compartment at the lowest position along a vertical direction to bear the printing material. In some embodiments, the bottom portion of the compartment may be a portion of the compartment closest to the light source assembly 210.

[0073] The light-transmissive window may be configured to allow the light beams emitted by the light source assembly 210 to pass through and reach to the printing material (e.g., a liquid surface of the printing material) accommodated in the compartment.

[0074] In some embodiments, the light-transmissive window may be formed by a release film. The release film is an auxiliary material configured to isolate the appliances from the material tank 220 and a build platform (which will be described below). The material of the release film may include a fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) film, a perfluoroalkoxy (PF A) film, an ethylene tetrafluoroethylene copolymer (ETFE) film, a Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) film, or the like, or any combination thereof.

[0075] By using the release film, the adhesion between the appliance and the compartment can be reduced, and the appliance can be easily peeled from the compartment, thereby improving the efficiency of the fabrication of the appliance. At the same time, the deformation or interlayer tearing of the appliance caused by excessive adhesion can be reduced or eliminated, thereby improving a print success rate. Furthermore, the release film can be used to prevent the printing material from directly adhering to the LCD screen or the DLP chip, thus extending the lifespan of the additive manufacturing device 110.

[0076] In some embodiments, the light-transmissive window may further include a support component. For example, the support component may be disposed at the bottom portion of the compartment to seal the bottom portion of the compartment, and the release film may be attached to the support component. In some embodiments, a material of the support component may be a translucent material. Exemplary translucent materials may include glass (e.g., ultra-clear glass, tempered glass, Low-E glass, etc.), organic polymer (e.g., polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polycarbonate (PC), polystyrene (PS), etc.), a ceramic material, or the like, or any combination thereof.Attorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00

[0077] By introducing the support component, the sealing and firmness of the compartment can be improved, thereby improving the security of the printing.

[0078] The light-transmissive window may be configured to adjust the light beams irradiated on the one or more printing materials . Correspondingly, light transmittances of the light-transmissive windows of the at least two compartments of the plurality of compartments may be different. For example, a light transmittance of one of the light-transmissive windows may be 60%, and a light transmittance of another one of the light- transmissive windows may be 80%. As another example, a release film used in one of the light-transmissive windows (e.g., a first light-transmissive window) may be different from a release film used in another one of the light-transmissive windows (e.g., a second light-transmissive window), and the light transmittance of the first light-transmissive window may be different from the light transmittance of the second light-transmissive window.

[0079] In some embodiments, the light transmittance of one of the light-transmissive windows may be set based on at least one preparation parameter of the light-transmissive window. A preparation parameter of a light-transmissive window refers to a parameter used for preparing the light-transmissive window. For example, the at least one preparation parameter of the light-transmissive window may include a material (e.g., a base material, an additional agent, a ratio of the additional agent doped into the base material, etc.), a thickness, a processing operation, a structure, or the like, or any combination thereof. The base material refers to a main material forming the light-transmissive window (e.g., the release film and / or the support component). The additional agent may be configured to provide a specific function for the light-transmissive window. Exemplary additional agents may include a surface performance modifier (e.g., nanoparticles, such as silica nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, etc.), a peel force regulator (e.g., acrylate-modified silicone oil, hydrogen-containing silicone oil, organosilicon compounds, etc.), a filler / reinforcer (e.g., titanium dioxide (TiO?), silica (SiO?), etc.), a stabilizer, a coloring matter used to selectively filter specific wavelengths (e.g., a wavelength out of the photocurable wavelength range) of the light beams, or the like, or any combination thereof. The ratio of the additional agent doped into the base material may include a mass fraction of a first mass of the additional agent to a second mass of the base material, a molar fraction of a first molar quantity of the additional agent to a second molar quantity of the base material, or the like, or any combination thereof.

[0080] The thickness of the light-transmissive window (e.g., the release film and / or the support component) may have a negative correlation with the light transmittance of the light-transmissive window (e.g., the release film and / or the support component). For example, the larger the thickness, the lower the light transmittance, the worse the elasticity, but the stronger the tensile resistance. As another example, if the thickness of the release film is within a range from 0.05 millimeters (mm) to 0.1 mm, the light transmittance is relatively high, but the release film is fragile. If the thickness of the release film is within a range from 0.1 mm to 0.15 mm, the light transmittance is high, and the release film is durable. If the thickness of the release fdm is within a range from 0.15 mm to 0.2 mm, the light transmittance is low, but the tensile resistance of the release film is relatively strong.

[0081] The processing operation refers to an operation on a surface of the light-transmissive window that can adjust the light transmittance of the light-transmissive window. Exemplary processing operations may include a coating operation, a texture operation, or the like, or any combination thereof.Attorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00

[0082] The structure of the light-transmissive window may include a structure of the release film (and optionally with a structure of the support component). The structure of the release film may include a singlelayer structure (e.g., a uniform single-layer structure, a gradient single-layer structure), a composite structure (e.g., including two or more layers). The gradient single-layer film refers to a single-layer structure whose thickness or density gradually changes to achieve differences in local light transmittance. For example, the thickness of an edge portion of the gradient single-layer film may be larger than the thickness of a center portion of the gradient single-layer film, thereby reducing the warpage of the printed appliance. The composite structure may include a high-transparency layer (e.g., the base material) and at least one functional layer. Exemplary functional layers may include a wearing layer, a coating layer, or the like, or any combination thereof. Similarly, the structure of the support component may also include a single-layer structure (e.g., a uniform single-layer structure, a gradient single-layer structure), a composite structure (e.g., including two or more layers), which is not repeated.

[0083] For illustration purposes, a material tank including two compartments is taken as an example in connection with FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary material tank 300 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 3, a frame 310 of the material tank 300 may form a chamber, and a separating wall 340 may divide the chamber to obtain a first compartment 320 and a second compartment 330. A fixing component 350 may be configmed to fix the separating wall 340.

[0084] The first compartment 320 may be provided with a first light-transmissive window 325, and the second compartment 330 may be provided with a second light-transmissive window 335. The first light- transmissive window 325 may have a first light transmittance, and the second light-transmissive window 335 may have a second light transmittance. The first light transmittance and the second light transmittance may be different. The first light transmittance and the second light transmittance may be different for simultaneously printing two appliances using the same printing parameters. Merely by way of example, the processing device 140 may determine target printing materials used for fabricating the two appliances, and determine at least one target printing parameter (i.e., the same printing parameters) for fabricating the two appliances. And then, the processing device 140 may determine target light transmittances of the first light-transmissive window 325 and the second light-transmissive window 335 based on at least one physical property of each of the target printing materials. As another example, the processing device 140 may determine target light transmittances of the first light-transmissive window 325 and the second light-transmissive window 335 based on at least one physical property of each of the target printing materials. More descriptions regarding the determination of the target light transmittance may be found elsewhere in the present disclosure (e.g., FIGs. 9-11 and the descriptions thereof).

[0085] Further, the processing device 140 may prepare the first light-transmissive window 325 and the second light-transmissive window 335 based on the target light transmittances of the first light-transmissive window 325 and the second light-transmissive window 335, respectively. The material tank 300 may be prepared after the first light-transmissive window 325 and the second light-transmissive window 335 are mounted on the first compartment 320 and the second compartment 330, respectively. The corresponding printing material may be caused to fill each of the first compartment 320 and the second compartment 330. Finally, the two appliances may be simultaneously printed using the material tank 300.Attorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00

[0086] In some embodiments, the first light-transmissive window 325 and the second light-transmissive window 335 may be prepared by setting at least one preparation parameter of the first light-transmissive window 325 and the second light-transmissive window 335 to satisfy the target light transmittances of the first light-transmissive window 325 and the second light-transmissive window 335, respectively. For example, the first light-transmissive window 325 may be formed by a first release film and the second light-transmissive window 335 may be formed by a second release film. By setting at least one preparation parameter of the first release film and the second release film, the light transmittances of the first light-transmissive window 325 and the second light-transmissive window 335 may be different and correspond to the target light transmittances of the first light-transmissive window 325 and the second light-transmissive window 335, respectively.

[0087] For example, a material of the first release film may be different from a material of the second release film. For instance, a base material of the first release film may be different from a base material of the second release film. Merely by way of example, the base material of the first release film may be an FEP film, and the base material of the second release film may be a PFA film. As another example, a first additional agent doped into the first release film may be different from a second agent doped into the second release film. For instance, the first additional agent doped into the first release film may be silica nanoparticles, and the second agent doped into the second release film may be carbon nanotubes. As still another example, a first ratio (e.g., a first weight ratio) of the first additional agent doped into the first release film may be different from a second ratio (e.g., a second weight ratio) of the second agent doped into the second release film. For instance, the first ratio may be 0.1%, and the second ratio may be 0.2%. At this time, the first additional agent may be different from or the same as the second additional agent.

[0088] As another example, a first thickness of the first release film may be different from a second thickness of the second release film. For instance, the first thickness of the first release film may be 0.11 mm, and the second thickness of the second release film may be 0.14 mm.

[0089] As still another example, a first processing operation performed on a surface of the first release film may be different from a second processing operation performed on a surface of the second release film. For instance, an anti -reflective coating may be added to the surface of the first release film to enhance the light transmittance of the first release film, and the texture operation is performed on the surface of the second release film to generate a matte or frosted surface to reduce the light transmittance of the second release film. As another example, the first processing operation may be performed on the surface of the first release film, and no processing operation may be performed on the surface of the second release film.

[0090] As yet another example, a first structure of the first release film may be different from a second structure of the second release film. For instance, the first structure may be a single-layer structure, and the second structure may be a composite structure, for example, including a high-transparency layer (e.g., the base material) and a wearing layer. As another example, the first structure may be a gradient single-layer film, and the second structure may be the composite structure.

[0091] In some embodiments, the light transmittances of the light-transmissive windows of the at least two compartments of the plurality of compartments may be different by setting at least one of the at least one preparation parameter of the release films or the at least one preparation parameter of the support components.

[0092] For illustration purposes, a light-transmissive window including a support component is taken as an example in connection with FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary material tank 400Attorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the material tank 400 may be similar to the material tank 300 as described in FIG. 3, excepting a first support component 428 and a second support component 438. For example, a frame 410, a first compartment 420, a first light-transmissive window 425, a second compartment 430, a second light-transmissive window 435, a separating wall 440, and a fixing component 450 may be similar to the frame 310, the first compartment 320, the first light-transmissive window 325, the second compartment 330, the second light-transmissive window 335, the separating wall 340, and the fixing component 350, respectively. By setting at least one preparation parameter of the first release film and the second release film and / or at least one preparation parameter of the first support component 428 and the second support component 438, light transmittances of the first light-transmissive window 425 and the second light-transmissive window 435 may be different and correspond to target light transmittances of the first light-transmissive window 425 and the second light-transmissive window 435, respectively.

[0093] In some embodiments, the additive manufacturing device 110 may further include a build platform 230. The build platform 230 may be configured to work with the material tank 220 to cure the one or more printing materials. For example, the one or more printing materials accommodated in the material tank 220 may be cured on the build platform 230 in a layer by layer manner. As another example, the build platform 230 may be connected to a motion system, and the motion system may be configured to drive the build platform 230 to move in and out of the material tank 220 along a motion direction. The motion direction refers to a direction which the build platform 230 moves along. For example, if the printing is a bottom-up printing, the motion direction may be a vertical direction.

[0094] In some embodiments, the build platform 230 may be provided with a plurality of sub-platforms, and each of the plurality of sub-platforms may correspond to one of the plurality of compartments. A sub-platform corresponding to a compartment refers to that the sub-platform can be accommodated in the compartment during the printing process. For example, the plurality of sub-platforms may be determined based on the count of the plurality of compartments and the position of each of the plurality of compartments. For instance, the count of the plurality of sub-platforms may be equal to the count of the plurality of compartments, and each sub-platform may be accommodated in one of the plurality of compartments along the vertical direction. As another example, one or more sub-platforms among the plurality of sub-platforms may be accommodated in one of the plurality of compartments along the vertical direction.

[0095] In some embodiments, the plurality of sub-platforms may be an integrated structure. For example, the plurality of sub-platforms may be integrally formed. At this time, materials of the plurality of subplatforms may be the same, and the plurality of sub-platforms may be controlled in synchronization.Exemplary materials may include a metal material (e.g., stainless steel, aluminum alloy, etc.), tempered glass, a high-molecular material (e.g., polyoxymethylene (POM), polypropylene (PP), polycarbonate (PC), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), etc.), or the like, or any combination thereof.

[0096] As another example, the plurality of sub-platforms may be independently formed and connected to form the integrated structure. Exemplary connection manners may include a glue connection, a welding connection, a thread connection, a socket connection, a groove connection, or the like, or any combination thereof. At this time, the materials of the plurality of sub-platforms may be the same or different.

[0097] In some embodiments, the integrated structure (i.e., the build platform 230) may be provided with at least one dent structure, and each of the at least one dent structure may be configured to accommodate theAttorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00 separating wall of the material tank 220 between two adjacent compartments among the plurality of compartments. For example, a dent structure may be formed between two adjacent compartments of the build platform 230 to accommodate the separating wall of the material tank 220. During a bottom-up printing, the build platform 230 may be lowered down to the material tank 220 in order to detach the cured layer from the light-transmissive windows of the material tank 220, and the separating wall of the material tank 220 may be accommodated in the dent structure of the build platform 230.

[0098] In some embodiments, the shape of a section of the dent structure perpendicular to a motion direction of the build platform 230 may include a triangle, a square, a rectangle, etc. In some embodiments, a size of the dent structure may be equal to or greater than a size of the separating wall of the material tank 220 between the two adjacent compartments, thereby accommodating the separating wall.

[0099] Merely by way of example, referring to FIG. 5, FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary build platform 500 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the build platform 500 may include a sub-platform 510, a sub-platform 520, and a dent structure 530. The sub-platform 510 and the sub-platform 520 may be detachably connected in a middle line 540. A shape of a section of the dent structure parallel to an x-y plane may be a triangle. The dent structure 530 may be formed by the sub-platform 510 and the sub-platform 520, and configured to accommodate a separating wall (e.g., the separating wall of the material tank 220).

[0100] As another example, referring to FIG. 6, FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary build platform 600 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the build platform 600 may be an integrally formed structure (i.e., an integrated structure), and include a dent structure 610 for accommodate the separating wall 340 of the material tank 300.

[0101] In some embodiments, the integrated structure (i.e., the build platform 230) may be disposed on the additive manufacturing device 110 (e.g., the motion system of the additive manufacturing device 110) together. For example, the build platform 230 may be directly connected to the additive manufacturing device 110. Exemplary connection manners may include a glue connection, a welding connection, a thread connection, a socket connection, a groove connection, or the like, or any combination thereof. As another example, the build platform 230 may be directly connected to the additive manufacturing device 110 through a first connection component. Exemplary connection components may include a threaded fastener, a buckle, a bearing, a hinge, a guide rail and slider, a spring, a quick-release connector, or the like, or any combination thereof.

[0102] In some embodiments, the plurality of sub-platforms may be independent structures. For example, the plurality of sub-platforms may be mounted on the additive manufacturing device 110 at different positions. For instance, one of the plurality of sub-platforms may be directly mounted on a corresponding position of the additive manufacturing device 110. As another example, one of the plurality of sub-platforms may be mounted on a corresponding position of the additive manufacturing device 110 through a second connection component. In some embodiments, the connection manners of the plurality of sub-platforms may be the same or different, and the second connection component may be the same or similar to the first connection component.Attorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00

[0103] In some embodiments, a space between the two adjacent sub-platforms among the plurality of subplatforms may be equal to or greater than a size of the separating wall of the material tank 220 between the two adjacent compartments, thereby accommodating the separating wall.

[0104] In some embodiments, the plurality of sub-platforms may be controlled in synchronization. For example, the plurality of sub-platforms may be lowered down and / or lifted up simultaneously, and a movement distance corresponding to each of the plurality of sub-platforms may be the same. In some embodiments, the plurality of sub-platforms may be independently controlled. For example, the plurality of sub-platforms may be lowered down and / or lifted up successively. As another example, the movement distance corresponding to each of the plurality of sub-platforms may be different.

[0105] Merely by way of example, referring to FIG. 7, FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary additive manufacturing device 700 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the additive manufacturing device 700 may include a light source (not shown), a material tank 710, a build platform, and a motion system 740. The material tank 710 may include a first compartment 712, and a second compartment 714, and a separating wall 716 between the first compartment 712 and the second compartment 714. The build platform may include a first sub-platform 720 corresponding to the first compartment 712 and a second sub-platform 730 corresponding to the second compartment 714. The first subplatform 720 and the second sub-platform 730 may be mounted on two sides of the motion system 740 of the additive manufacturing device 700. For example, the first sub-platform 720 may be connected to the motion system 740 through a first connection component 742, and the second sub-platform 730 may be connected to the motion system 740 through a second connection component 744.

[0106] During a printing process, the first sub-platform 720 and the second sub-platform 730 may be lowered down to the material tank 710 (i.e., the first compartment 712 and the second compartment 714, respectively), and the separating wall 716 of the material tank 710 may be located between the first subplatform 720 and the second sub-platform 730. The first sub-platform 720 and the second sub-platform 730 may be controlled in synchronization or independently.

[0107] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, by providing the material tank to include the plurality of compartments, the light-transmissive windows of the at least two compartments of the plurality of compartments can have different light transmittances. Therefore, printing parameters corresponding to the same light source can be equivalent to different printing parameters through different light transmittances of the light-transmissive windows, thereby simultaneously printing different appliances. That is, the single additive manufacturing device can be used to simultaneously print different appliances, which avoids necessitating frequent material changes during the printing process or restricting the additive manufacturing device to operate with only one type of material or print only one type of dental appliance, thereby improving printing efficiency and reducing printing costs.

[0108] In addition, the build platform can be provided to correspond to the plurality of compartments, which can co-operate with the plurality of compartments to simultaneously print different appliances, thereby further improving the printing efficiency.

[0109] It should be noted that the additive manufacturing device 110 are provided for illustration purposes, and not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. For persons having ordinary skills in the art, multiple variations and modifications may be made under the teachings of the present disclosure. However,Attorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00 those variations and modifications do not depart from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the additive manufacturing device 110 may include more than two compartments and more than two subplatforms. As another example, the additive manufacturing device 110 may further include one or more auxiliary components. For instance, the one or more auxiliary components may include a cooling system (e.g., a fan or a water-cooling system) to prevent the light source from overheating. As another example, the one or more auxiliary components may include post-processing components, such as, a cleaning station, a secondary curing box, etc. As still another example, the one or more auxiliary components may include a safety module, such as, a liquid level sensor disposed in each compartment, a light cover (to prevent light leakage), etc.

[0110] FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary processing device 140 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the processing device 140 may be in communication with a computer-readable storage medium (e.g., the storage device 150 illustrated in FIG. 1) and may execute instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium. The processing device 140 may include an obtaining module 810, a determination module 820, and a control module 830.[OHl] The obtaining module 810 may be configured to obtain digital models representing a plurality of appliances. An appliance may be a subject or a portion thereof that can be printed by an additive manufacturing device (e.g., the additive manufacturing device 110). A digital model may be a virtual representation of an appliance or a portion of the appliance created using digital technology. More descriptions regarding the obtaining of the digital models may be found elsewhere in the present disclosure. See, e.g., operation 902 and relevant descriptions thereof.

[0112] The determination module 820 may be configured to determine target printing materials used for fabricating the plurality of appliances. A target printing material refers to a printing material used for printing the appliance. More descriptions regarding the determination of the target printing materials may be found elsewhere in the present disclosure. See, e.g., operation 904 and relevant descriptions thereof.

[0113] The determination module 820 may be configured to determine at least one target printing parameter for fabricating the plurality of appliances. The at least one target printing parameter may be used for simultaneously printing the plurality of appliances using the target printing materials. More descriptions regarding the determination of the at least one target printing parameter may be found elsewhere in the present disclosure. See, e.g., operation 906 and relevant descriptions thereof.

[0114] The determination module 820 may be configured to determine target light transmittances of light- transmissive windows of a plurality of compartments based on the at least one target physical property of each of the target printing materials and the at least one target printing parameter. A target light transmittance of a light-transmissive window of a compartment may be used to generate adjusted printing parameter(s) to print the appliance by adjusting the at least one target printing parameter. More descriptions regarding the determination of the target light transmittances may be found elsewhere in the present disclosure. See, e.g., operation 908 and relevant descriptions thereof.

[0115] The determination module 820 may be configured to determine a material tank based on the target light transmittances of the light-transmissive windows of the plurality of compartments. More descriptions regarding the determination of the material tank may be found elsewhere in the present disclosure. See, e.g., operation 910 and relevant descriptions thereof.Attorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00

[0116] The control module 830 may be configured to cause the target printing materials to be filled into the plurality of compartments, respectively. For example, for each of the plurality of compartments, the corresponding target printing material may be caused to fill the compartment. More descriptions regarding the filling the target printing materials may be found elsewhere in the present disclosure. See, e.g., operation 912 and relevant descriptions thereof.

[0117] The control module 830 may be configured to cause the additive manufacturing device to simultaneously print the plurality of appliances based on the at least one target printing parameter and the digital models. More descriptions regarding the simultaneously printing the plurality of appliances may be found elsewhere in the present disclosure. See, e.g., operation 914 and relevant descriptions thereof.

[0118] It should be noted that the above descriptions of the processing device 140 are provided for the purposes of illustration, and not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. For persons having ordinary skills in the art, various variations and modifications may be conducted under the guidance of the present disclosure. However, those variations and modifications do not depart from the scope of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the processing device 140 may include one or more other modules. For example, the processing device 140 may include a storage module to store data generated by the modules in the processing device 140. In some embodiments, any two of the modules may be combined as a single module, and any one of the modules may be divided into two or more units.

[0119] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process 900 for simultaneously printing a plurality of appliances according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0120] In 902, the processing device 140 (e.g., the obtaining module 810) may obtain digital models representing a plurality of appliances.

[0121] An appliance may be a subject or a portion thereof that can be printed by an additive manufacturing device (e.g., the additive manufacturing device 110). For example, the appliance may be a dental appliance. Exemplary dental appliances may include an aligner, a retainer, a dental crown, a dental bridge, a denture base, denture teeth in a single unit or bridged construction, an implant retained / implant supported bar and superstructure, a partial denture framework, a night guard, a splint, a dental model, an ancillary component (e.g., a surgical guide, a soft tissue model, implant abutment replicas, a custom tray, a device for treating sleep- related problems (e.g., sleep apnea and snoring), etc.), or the like, or any combination thereof.

[0122] The plurality of appliances may include different types of appliances. For example, one of the plurality of appliances may be a dental crown, and another one of the plurality of appliances may be a dental bridge. As another example, one of the plurality of appliances may be a first portion of the dental crown, another one of the plurality of appliances may be a second portion of the dental crown, and the first portion and the second portion may form the dental crown.

[0123] In some embodiments, the plurality of appliances may be simultaneously printed by the additive manufacturing device. The additive manufacturing device may include a light source and a material tank including a plurality of compartments. Each of the plurality of compartments may be configured to accommodate one of one or more printing materials. More descriptions regarding the additive manufacturing device may be found elsewhere in the present disclosure (e.g., FIGs. 2-7 and the descriptions thereof).

[0124] A digital model may be a virtual representation of an appliance or a portion of the appliance created using digital technology. In some embodiments, the digital model may include a plurality of layers (slices),Attorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00 and the plurality of layers may form the digital model. Each of the plurality of layers may correspond to a layer thickness (a slice thickness). Therefore, the additive manufacturing device may be used to print the appliance in a layer by layer manner based on the plurality of layers.

[0125] In some embodiments, for one of the plurality of appliances, the processing device 140 may generate the digital model of the appliance based on image data of a subject that needs to be printed. For example, the image data of the subject may be acquired by scanning (e.g., performing a scan of a physical impression or an intraoral scan on) the oral environment of the subject, and the digital model may be constructed based on the image data using a construction software system. Exemplary construction software systems may include LuxCreo’s LuxDesign software, 3 Shape TRIOS software, CEREC Primescan software, iTero Element software, or the like, or any combination thereof. Alternatively, the processing device 140 may obtain the digital model from a storage device (e.g., the storage device 150, a database, or an external storage) that stores the digital model.

[0126] In 904, the processing device 140 (e.g., the determination module 820) may determine target printing materials used for fabricating the plurality of appliances.

[0127] A target printing material refers to a printing material used for printing the appliance.

[0128] In some embodiments, for one of the plurality of appliances, the processing device 140 may determine the target printing material based on the appliance. For example, the processing device 140 may obtain a first corresponding relationship between reference information of candidate appliances and candidate printing materials, and obtain target information of the appliance. Further, the processing device 140 may determine the target printing material based on the first corresponding relationship and the target information of the appliance.

[0129] A candidate printing material refers to an available material that can be used to print at least one of the plurality of appliances.

[0130] Information of an appliance may include a function, a position, a usage condition, or the like, or any combination thereof, of the appliance.

[0131] In some embodiments, the first corresponding relationship may be previously determined. For example, the first corresponding relationship may be determined in advance by determining a candidate printing material corresponding to each set of the reference information of the candidate appliances. Merely by way of example, the first corresponding relationship may be represented as a table including different reference information of candidate appliances and their corresponding candidate printing materials, and the target printing material may be determined by looking up the table based on the target information of the appliance.

[0132] As another example, the processing device 140 may obtain the target information of the appliance, and at least one third physical property of each of candidate printing materials. Further, the processing device 140 may determine the target printing material based on the target information of the appliance, and the at least one third physical property of each of candidate printing materials. Exemplary physical properties may include viscosity, density, refractive index, curing shrinkage rate, light transmittance, surface tension, a mechanical property (e.g., tensile strength, elongation at break, hardness, etc.), a critical exposure dose (Ec), a depth of penetration (Dp), a required energy, a photocurable wavelength range, or the like, or any combination thereof.Attorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00

[0133] In some embodiments, for one of the plurality of appliances, the processing device 140 may determine the target printing material used for fabricating the appliance based on an input of a user. For example, the user (e.g., a doctor, an operator, etc.) may pre-determine the target printing material used for fabricating the appliance, and input an instruction regarding the target printing material. The processing device 140 may determine the target printing material based on the input instruction.

[0134] In 906, the processing device 140 (e.g., the determination module 820) may determine at least one target printing parameter for fabricating the plurality of appliances.

[0135] The at least one target printing parameter may be used for simultaneously printing the plurality of appliances using the target printing materials.

[0136] Exemplary printing parameters may include an intensity of light beams emitted by a light source of the additive manufacturing device (e.g., the light source 210 of the additive manufacturing device 110), a wavelength of the light beams, an exposure time, an exposure energy, a waiting time, a layer thickness, a moving speed of a build platform of the additive manufacturing device (e.g., the build platform 230 of the additive manufacturing device 110), a cure depth (Cd), a printing speed, or the like, or any combination thereof.

[0137] The exposure time refers to a curing time of one of the plurality of layers (slices) of the appliance. For example, the exposure time may positively relate to the layer thickness of the layer (slice) of the appliance.

[0138] The exposure energy refers to an energy provided by the light beams. In some embodiments, the exposure energy may be equal to a product of the intensity of the light beams and the exposure time.

[0139] The waiting time refers to a time period between the curing of two adjacent layers of the appliance. For example, after a current layer is cured, the light source may be turned off, and the build platform may be driven away from the corresponding compartment along a vertical direction at a first moving speed for separating the cured layer from a light-transmissive window (e.g., a release film) of the corresponding compartment. After the build platform is moved to a predetermined height, the build platform may still be waiting for the time (also referred to as waiting time), and then it may be lowered down to the light- transmissive window along the vertical direction at a second moving speed. In some embodiments, the waiting time may relate to at least one target physical property of the target printing materials and the layer thickness of the layer (slice). By providing the waiting time, the cured layer can be moved away from the printing material, thereby improving the stability and accuracy of the cured layer.

[0140] The moving speed may include the first moving speed along the vertical direction away from the light-transmissive window and the second moving speed along the vertical direction to the light-transmissive window. The first moving speed may be the same as or different from the second moving speed. In some embodiments, the moving speed may further include a third moving speed in a horizontal plane.

[0141] The cure depth refers to a vertical depth of curing of a single layer after exposure. The cure depth may relate to the layer thickness. For example, the cure depth may be a value larger than the layer thickness. As another example, the cure depth may be a value larger than 1.2 times the layer thickness. In some embodiments, different printing materials may correspond to different cure depths. For example, a first printing material may be 1.2 times the layer thickness, and a second printing material may be 1.5 times the layer thickness.Attorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00

[0142] A printing speed of a layer (slice) may relate to the at least one target physical property of the target printing materials and the layer thickness of the layer (slice).

[0143] The printing time refers to the whole time for printing the appliance.

[0144] In some embodiments, the processing device 140 may determine the at least one target printing parameter based on the target printing materials. For example, the processing device 140 may obtain the at least one target physical property of each of the target printing materials, and determine the at least one target printing parameter based on the at least one target physical property. More descriptions regarding the determination of the at least one target printing parameter may be found elsewhere in the present disclosure (e.g., FIG. 10 and the descriptions thereof).

[0145] In some embodiments, the at least one target printing parameter may include a set of target printing parameter(s) corresponding to one of the target printing materials. That is, the processing device 140 may determine the set of target printing parameter(s) for one of the target printing materials. The set of target printing parameter(s) may be determined in a similar manner as how the at least one target printing parameter is determined.

[0146] In 908, the processing device 140 (e.g., the determination module 820) may determine target light transmittances of light-transmissive windows of the plurality of compartments based on the at least one target physical property of each of the target printing materials and the at least one target printing parameter.

[0147] A target light transmittance of a light-transmissive window of a compartment may be used to generate adjusted printing parameter(s) to print the appliance by adjusting the at least one target printing parameter. For example, if the at least one target printing parameter is a target exposure energy, a first printing material corresponds to a first exposure energy, and a second printing material corresponds to a second exposure energy, an exposure energy received by the first printing material may be generated by transforming the target exposure energy to the first exposure energy through a target light transmittance corresponding to a compartment accommodating the first printing material, and an exposure energy received by the second printing material may be generated by transforming the target exposure energy to the second exposure energy through a target light transmittance corresponding to a compartment accommodating the second printing material. It should be noted that the target light transmittance is used to adjust the printing parameter(s) of light beams irradiated on the printing material(s), not to adjust the printing parameter(s) of light beams emitted by the light source assembly. In other words, this is an equivalent process.

[0148] In some embodiments, for one of the plurality of compartments, the processing device 140 may determine the target light transmittance of the light-transmissive window of the compartment based on the at least one target printing parameter and the at least one target physical property of the target printing material corresponding to the compartment. For example, , for one of the plurality of appliances, the processing device 140 may obtain a second corresponding relationship between candidate light transmittances, candidate printing parameters, and candidate physical properties, and determine the target light transmittance of the light- transmissive window of the compartment based on the at least one target printing parameter, the at least one target physical property of the target printing material, and the second corresponding relationship. More descriptions regarding the determination of the at least one target printing parameter may be found elsewhere in the present disclosure (e.g., FIG. 10 and the descriptions thereof).Attorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00

[0149] In some embodiments, for one of the plurality of appliances, the processing device 140 may determine the target light transmittance of the light-transmissive window of the compartment by inputting the at least one target printing parameter and the at least one target physical property of the target printing material corresponding to the compartment into a light transmittance determination model. The light transmittance determination model may be a trained machine learning model. More descriptions regarding the determination of the at least one target printing parameter may be found elsewhere in the present disclosure (e.g., FIG. 10 and the descriptions thereof).

[0150] In 910, the processing device 140 (e.g., the determination module 820) may determine the material tank based on the target light transmittances of the light-transmissive windows of the plurality of compartments.

[0151] In some embodiments, the processing device 140 may obtain target light-transmissive windows corresponding to the target light transmittances, and cause the target light-transmissive windows to be mounted on the corresponding compartments, thereby determining the material tank.

[0152] In some embodiments, for one of the plurality of compartments, the processing device 140 may determine a target release film and / or a target support component of the compartment based on the target light transmittance of the light-transmissive window of the compartment. For example, the processing device 140 may determine at least one target parameter of the target release film and / or at least one target parameter of the target support component based on the target light transmittance, and determine the target release film and / or the target support component of the compartment based on the at least one target parameter of the target release film and / or the at least one target parameter of the target support component, respectively. More descriptions regarding the at least one parameter of the release film and / or the at least one parameter of the support may be found elsewhere in the present disclosure (e.g., FIG. 2 and the descriptions thereof).

[0153] In some embodiments, the processing device 140 may determine the material tank based on the target release film and / or the target support component of each compartment. For example, for each of the plurality of compartments, the processing device 140 may determine the light-transmissive window of the compartment based on the target release film and / or the target support component, so as to determine the material tank based on the light-transmissive window of each compartment.

[0154] In 912, the processing device 140 (e.g., the control module 830) may cause the target printing materials to be filled into the plurality of compartments, respectively.

[0155] For example, for each of the plurality of compartments, the corresponding target printing material may be caused to fill the compartment.

[0156] Merely by way of example, one of the plurality of compartments may include a first liquid level sensor disposed at a first height and a second liquid level sensor disposed at a second height. The first height may correspond to a lowest height of a liquid level of the target printing material, and the second height may correspond to a highest height of the liquid level of the target printing material. When the liquid level of the target printing material reaches the first height, the processing device 140 may receive a first signal from the first liquid level sensor and cause the target printing material to be injected into the compartment; while the processing device 140 may receive a second signal from the second liquid level sensor to stop injecting the target printing material into the compartment.Attorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00

[0157] In some embodiments, the target printing materials in the plurality of compartments may be the same or different. For example, a same target printing material may be caused to fill at least two compartments among the plurality of compartments. As another example, different target printing material may be caused to fdl the plurality of compartments, respectively.

[0158] In 914, the processing device 140 (e.g., the control module 830) may cause the additive manufacturing device to simultaneously print the plurality of appliances based on the at least one target printing parameter and the digital models.

[0159] For example, each of the plurality of compartments may correspond to one of the plurality of appliances, and the plurality of appliances may be simultaneously printed through the additive manufacturing device based on the at least one target printing parameter and the digital models.

[0160] For illustration purposes, the plurality of appliances including a set of denture teeth and a corresponding denture base for a patient is taken as an example. The denture teeth (also referred to as a first appliance) may correspond to a first printing material, the denture base (also referred to as a second appliance) may correspond to a second printing material, and the first printing material may be different from the second printing material. A printing time of the denture base is approximately 45 minutes, whereas the denture teeth necessitate approximately 20 minutes. If the denture teeth and the denture base are sequentially printed by a single additive manufacturing device, a minimum cumulative printing time would be 65 minutes. Additionally, the printing process further requires the user to replace the first printing material with the second printing material after the denture teeth are printed. The printing material replacement usually includes emptying the first printing material from the material tank of the additive manufacturing device, cleaning the material tank, refilling the material tank with the second printing material, and recalibrating the additive manufacturing device, which requires a long time. Therefore, the entire process for printing the denture teeth and the denture base may extend beyond 90 minutes.

[0161] By simultaneously printing the denture teeth and the denture base using the additive manufacturing device through the process 900, the printing time may be limited to the longest individual printing time (i.e., the printing time of the denture base which is approximately 45 minutes), thereby improving the printing efficiency. Continuing to refer to FIG. 7, a first appliance 752 and a second appliance 754 may be concurrently printed by using the first printing material in the compartment 712 and the second printing material in the compartment 714. In some embodiments, the fitness of the denture teeth within the denture base may be immediately assessed, which can improve the printing efficiency and accuracy.

[0162] In some embodiments, at least two appliances among the plurality of appliances may be successively printed. For instance, if the plurality of appliances includes a first appliance, a second appliance, and a third appliance, and a printing time of the first appliance is longer than a sum of a printing time of the second appliance and a printing time of the third appliance, the processing device 140 may cause the additive manufacturing device to simultaneously print the first appliance and the second appliance based on the at least one target printing parameter and the digital models. After the second appliance is printed, the processing device 140 may stop the printing and replace a compartment accommodating a second printing material used for fabricating the second appliance with a compartment accommodating a third printing material corresponding to the third appliance. And then, the processing device 140 may cause the additiveAttorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00 manufacturing device to simultaneously print the first appliance and the third appliance based on the at least one target printing parameter and the digital models.

[0163] Continuing to refer to FIG. 7, after the second appliance 754 is printed, the processing device 140 may stop the printing and replace the compartment 714 accommodating the second printing material used for fabricating the second appliance 754 with a compartment accommodating a third printing material corresponding to a third appliance 756. And then, the processing device 140 may cause the additive manufacturing device 700 to simultaneously print the first appliance 752 and the third appliance 756.

[0164] In some embodiments, a separating layer may be between the second appliance and the third appliance. For example, the separating layer may be printed at a bottom portion of the second appliance. Correspondingly, the separating layer may be printed after the second appliance is printed and / or the third appliance is started to print. In some embodiments, the separating layer may be a lattice structure with connecting rods to the second appliance and the third appliance. Therefore, the separating layer can be easily removed from the second appliance and the third appliance, thereby ensuring the stability and accuracy of the second appliance and the third appliance.

[0165] Alternatively, the second appliance may be removed from the build platform after the second appliance is printed.

[0166] In some embodiments, the plurality of appliances may be assigned to successively print based on the printing time of each of the plurality of appliances and the count of the plurality of compartments of the additive manufacturing device. For example, the processing device 140 may assign the plurality of appliances into the count of sets, and printing time of each set of appliances may be equal or substantially equal. Merely by way of example, if a first printing time of a first appliance is approximately 45 minutes, a second printing time of a second appliance is approximately 20 minutes, a third printing time of a third appliance is approximately 30 minutes, a fourth printing time of a fourth appliance is approximately 40 minutes, a fifth printing time of a fifth appliance is approximately 25 minutes, and the count of the plurality of compartments of the additive manufacturing device is two, the processing device 140 may assign the first appliance and the third appliance as a first set, and assign the second appliance, the fourth appliance, and the fifth appliance as a second set.

[0167] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, by determining the target light transmittances of the light-transmissive windows of the plurality of compartments, the material tank including the plurality of compartments corresponding to different light transmittances can be determined. Therefore, the target printing parameter(s) can be equivalent to different printing parameters for each of the plurality of appliances, thereby simultaneously printing different appliances, thereby improving printing efficiency. Furthermore, by replacing the compartment with different compartments accommodating different printing materials, a portion of the plurality of appliances can be assigned to successively print, thereby further improving the printing efficiency.

[0168] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process 1000 for determining a target light transmittance of a light-transmissive window of one of a plurality of compartments according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the process 1000 may be performed to achieve at least part of operation 908 as described in connection with FIG. 9.Attorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00

[0169] In 1002, the processing device 140 (e.g., the determination module 820) may obtain at least one first physical property of each of printing materials.

[0170] The printing materials may be target printing materials used for fabricating a plurality of appliances. More descriptions regarding the target printing materials may be found elsewhere in the present disclosure (e.g., operation 904 and the descriptions thereof).

[0171] The at least one first physical property may include viscosity, density, refractive index, curing shrinkage rate, light transmittance, surface tension, a mechanical property (e.g., tensile strength, elongation at break, hardness, etc.), a critical exposure dose (Ec), a depth of penetration (Dp), a required energy, a photocurable wavelength range, or the like, or any combination thereof. The Ec refers to a minimum energy required to just initiate the curing of a surface of the printing material. That is, when an energy received by the printing material is larger than the Ec, the printing material starts to cure. The Dp refers to a characteristic length of light energy attenuation in the printing material. For example, when a certain energy wave (e.g., light beams) enters the printing material, the Dp is a depth that the energy wave can reach when an intensity of the energy wave decays to 1 / e (about 36.8%) of an intensity of the energy wave at the surface of the printing material. The required energy refers to an energy required to cure the printing material.

[0172] In some embodiments, the processing device 140 may obtain the at least one first physical property of each of the printing materials from a storage device (e.g., the storage device 150, a database, or an external storage) that stores the at least one first physical property (e.g., a table of physical properties of printing materials).

[0173] In 1004, the processing device 140 (e.g., the determination module 820) may determine at least one target printing parameter based on the at least one first physical property.

[0174] The at least one target printing parameter may be used for simultaneously printing different appliances using the printing materials. Exemplary printing parameters may include an intensity of light beams emitted by a light source of the additive manufacturing device (e.g., the light source 210 of the additive manufacturing device 110), a wavelength of the light beams, an exposure time, an exposure energy, a waiting time, a layer thickness, a cure depth, a moving speed of a build platform of the additive manufacturing device (e.g., the build platform 230 of the additive manufacturing device 110), a printing speed, or the like, or any combination thereof. More descriptions regarding the target printing parameter may be found elsewhere in the present disclosure (e.g., operation 906 and the descriptions thereof).

[0175] In some embodiments, the processing device 140 may determine a target physical property value for each of the at least one first physical property, and determine the at least one target printing parameter based on the target physical property value(s) of the at least one first physical property.

[0176] A target physical property value of a first physical property refers to a value of the first physical property that needs a highest printing requirement. For example, if the first physical property is the viscosity, the target physical property value may be the largest viscosity among the printing materials, and the processing device 140 may determine the waiting time and / or the moving speed based on the largest viscosity.

[0177] In some embodiments, for each of the printing materials, the processing device 140 may determine a candidate value of each of the at least one target printing parameter corresponding to the printing material based on the at least one first physical property of the printing material, and determine the at least one target printing parameter from the candidate value of each of the at least one target printing parameter correspondingAttorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00 to the printing material. For example, for each of the at least one target printing parameter, the processing device 140 may determine a target value of the target printing parameter, and designate the target value of the target printing parameter as the target printing parameter. The target value of the target printing parameter refers to the highest printing requirement. For example, if the target printing parameter is the waiting time, the processing device 140 may determine a candidate time period for each of the printing materials, and designate the longest one among the candidate time periods as the waiting time. As another example, if the target printing parameter is the exposure time and / or the exposure energy, the processing device 140 may determine a candidate exposure time and / or a candidate exposure energy for each of the printing materials based on the Ec and the Dp of each printing material, and designate the longest one among the candidate exposure times as the exposure time and the largest one among the candidate exposure energies as the exposure energy.

[0178] In some embodiments, the processing device 140 may determine at least one target printing parameter based on the at least one first physical property and at least one parameter of an additive manufacturing device (e.g., the additive manufacturing device 110). For example, if the at least one target printing parameter is the intensity of the light beams, the processing device 140 may determine a target value of the intensity based on the at least one first physical property and a permissible intensity range of the additive manufacturing device. For instance, the processing device 140 may determine 500 W / m2within the permissible intensity range of the additive manufacturing device as the target value of the intensity.

[0179] In some embodiments, the processing device 140 may determine the at least one target printing parameter using a printing parameter determination model. For example, the processing device 140 may input the at least one first physical property of each of the printing materials into the printing parameter determination model, and the printing parameter determination model may output the at least one target printing parameter.

[0180] The printing parameter determination model refers to a model used to determine the at least one target printing parameter. In some embodiments, the printing parameter determination model may be a trained machine learning model, such as, a neural network model, which is not limited to herein.

[0181] In some embodiments, the printing parameter determination model may be generated through a training process. For example, the processing device 140 may obtain a plurality of first training samples. Each of the plurality of first training samples may include sample physical properties of sample printing materials and at least one reference printing parameter corresponding to the sample physical properties. The processing device 140 may generate the printing parameter determination model by training a first preliminary machine learning model via performing multiple iterations. Each iteration may include updating first parameter values of the first preliminary machine learning model based on a first difference between the at least one reference printing parameter and at least one estimated printing parameter generated by the first preliminary machine learning model based on the sample physical properties.

[0182] In some embodiments, an input of the printing parameter determination model may further include the at least one parameter of the additive manufacturing device. For example, the processing device 140 may input the at least one first physical property of each of the printing materials and the at least one parameter of the additive manufacturing device into the printing parameter determination model, and the printing parameter determination model may output the at least one target printing parameter. Correspondingly, each of the plurality of first training samples may include sample parameters of a sample additive manufacturing device.Attorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00

[0183] It should be noted that the at least one target printing parameter corresponds to the additive manufacturing device. At least one second target printing parameter corresponding to the plurality of appliances may be the same as or different from the at least one target printing parameter. For example, the plurality of appliances may include a set of denture teeth and a corresponding denture base, at least one second target printing parameter corresponding to the denture base may be the same as the at least one target printing parameter, but at least one second target printing parameter corresponding to the set of denture teeth may be different from the at least one target printing parameter. At the same time, the at least one second target printing parameter corresponding to the denture base may be different from the at least one second target printing parameter corresponding to the set of denture teeth. As another example, by adjusting the light transmittance corresponding to the denture base and the light transmittance corresponding to corresponding to the set of denture teeth, the at least one second target printing parameter corresponding to the denture base may be the same as the at least one second target printing parameter corresponding to the set of denture teeth.

[0184] In 1006, for one of the plurality of compartments, the processing device 140 (e.g., the determination module 820) may determine a target light transmittance of a light-transmissive window of the compartment based on the at least one target printing parameter and at least one second physical property of a target printing material corresponding to the compartment.

[0185] A second physical property of a printing material refers to a physical property of the printing material relating to the curing. For example, the at least one second physical property may include the critical exposure dose (Ec), the depth of penetration (Dp), the cure depth (Cp), the required energy, etc.

[0186] In some embodiments, the processing device 140 may obtain the second physical property of the target printing material from the storage device.

[0187] In some embodiments, the processing device 140 may obtain a corresponding relationship (also referred to as a second corresponding relationship) between candidate light transmittances, candidate printing parameters, and candidate physical properties, and determine the target light transmittance of the light- transmissive window of the compartment based on the at least one target printing parameter, the at least one second physical property of the target printing material, and the second corresponding relationship.

[0188] In some embodiments, the second corresponding relationship may be previously determined. For example, the second corresponding relationship may be determined in advance by determining a light transmittance corresponding to the printing parameters and the physical properties. Merely by way of example, the second corresponding relationship may be represented as a table including different printing parameters and different physical properties, and their corresponding light transmittances, and the target light transmittance may be determined by looking up the table based on the at least one target printing parameter and the at least one second physical property of the target printing material corresponding to the compartment.

[0189] For illustration purposes, the light transmittance being determined based on the exposure energy and the cure depth is taken as an example. Merely by way of example, a first printing material is used to print a first appliance, and a second printing material is used to print a second appliance. A first Ec of the first printing material is 8 mJ / cm2, a first Dp of the first printing material is 150 pm; while a second Ec of the second printing material is 6 mJ / cm2, a second Dp of the second printing material is 200 pm. Assuming the cure depth is 50 pm, the required energy (a reference energy) of the first printing material and the second printing material may be determined according to Equation (1) as below:Attorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00Cd = Dp x In—, (1) where Cd represents a cure depth, Dp represents a depth of penetration of a printing material, Er represents a required energy of the printing material, and Ec may represent a critical exposure dose of the printing material.

[0190] Therefore, the required energy of the first printing material is 11.2 mJ / cm2, and the required energy of the second printing material is 7.7 mJ / cm2.

[0191] Furthermore, the processing device 140 may obtain a second corresponding relationship between exposure energies (i.e., one candidate printing parameter), required energies (i.e., one candidate physical property), and candidate light transmittances, and determine a target light transmittance of a light-transmissive window of a compartment corresponding to the first printing material based on the required energy of the first printing material, the exposure energy of the additive manufacturing device 110 (i.e., a target printing parameter), and the second corresponding relationship. Similarly, the processing device 140 may determine a target light transmittance of a light-transmissive window of a compartment corresponding to the second printing material based on the required energy of the second printing material, the exposure energy of the additive manufacturing device 110, and the second corresponding relationship.

[0192] In some embodiments, the processing device 140 may determine the target light transmittance based on a synergistic effect between the Ec and the Dp. For example, the processing device 140 may determine the target light transmittance according to Equation (2) as below:where Cd represents a cure depth, Dp represents a depth of penetration of a printing material, E represents an exposure energy of an additive manufacturing device, LT represents a target light transmittance of the printing material, and Ec may represent a critical exposure dose of the printing material.

[0193] In some embodiments, the processing device 140 may determine the target light transmittance of the light-transmissive window of the compartment using a light transmittance determination model. For example, the processing device 140 may input the at least one target printing parameter and the at least one second physical property of the target printing material corresponding to the compartment into the light transmittance determination model, and the printing parameter determination model may output the target light transmittance of the light-transmissive window of the compartment.

[0194] The light transmittance determination model refers to a model used to determine the target light transmittance of the light-transmissive window of the compartment. In some embodiments, the light transmittance determination model may be a trained machine learning model, such as, a neural network model, which is not limited to herein.

[0195] In some embodiments, the light transmittance determination model may be generated through a training process. For example, the processing device 140 may obtain a plurality of second training samples. Each of the plurality of second training samples may include at least one sample printing parameter, at least one sample physical property of a sample printing material, and a reference light transmittance corresponding to the sample printing material. The processing device 140 may generate the light transmittance determination model by training a second preliminary machine learning model via performing multiple iterations. Each iteration may include updating second parameter values of the second preliminary machine learning model based on a second difference between the reference light transmittance and an estimated light transmittanceAttorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00 generated by the second preliminary machine learning model based on the at least one sample physical property of the sample printing material and the at least one sample printing parameter.

[0196] In some embodiments, the at least one second physical property may be the same as the at least one first physical property. At this time, the determination of the target light transmittance of the light- transmissive window of the compartment based on the at least one target printing parameter and the at least one second physical property of the target printing material corresponding to the compartment may be also referred to as the determination of the target light transmittance of the light-transmissive window of the compartment based on the at least one target printing parameter and the at least one first physical property of the target printing material corresponding to the compartment.

[0197] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, by determining the target light transmittance of the light-transmissive window of each of the plurality of compartments, the target printing parameter(s) can be equivalent to different printing parameters for each of the plurality of appliances, thereby simultaneously printing different appliances, and improving printing efficiency. Furthermore, the at least one target printing parameter and / or the target light transmittance can be determined through the machine learning model(s) automatically, thereby improving the printing efficiency.

[0198] At least a portion of processes 900 and 1000 may be implemented in the system 100 illustrated in FIG. 1. For example, at least a portion of the processes 900 and 1000 may be stored in the storage device 150 as a form of instructions, and invoked and / or executed by the processing device 140. The operations of the illustrated process presented below are intended to be illustrative. In some embodiments, the processes 900 and 1000 may be accomplished with one or more additional operations not described, and / or without one or more of the operations discussed. Additionally, the order in which the operations of the processes 900 and 1000 are not intended to be limiting.

[0199] For example, the processing device 140 may determine the target light transmittances of light- transmissive windows of the plurality of compartments before the at least one target printing parameter for fabricating the plurality of appliances is determined.

[0200] Merely by way of example, referring to FIG. 11, FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process 1100 for simultaneously printing a plurality of appliances according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0201] As illustrated in FIG. 11, in 1102, the processing device 140 (e.g., the obtaining module 810) may obtain digital models representing a plurality of appliances. Operation 1102 may be similar to operation 902, which is not repeated herein.

[0202] In 1104, the processing device 140 (e.g., the determination module 820) may determine target printing materials used for fabricating the plurality of appliances. Operation 1104 may be similar to operation 904, which is not repeated herein.

[0203] In 1106, the processing device 140 (e.g., the determination module 820) may determine target light transmittances of light-transmissive windows of the plurality of compartments based on the at least one target physical property of each of the target printing materials.

[0204] For example, for one of the plurality of compartments, the processing device 140 may determine the target light transmittance of the light-transmissive window of the compartment at least based on the at least one target physical property of each of the target printing materials (also referred to as the at least one firstAttorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00 physical property of each of the printing materials). For instance, the processing device 140 may obtain a corresponding relationship (also referred to as a third corresponding relationship) between candidate light transmittances and candidate physical properties, and determine the target light transmittance of the light- transmissive window of the compartment based on the at least one target physical property of each of the target printing materials and the third corresponding relationship. The third corresponding relationship may be obtained in a similar manner as how the second corresponding relationship is obtained.

[0205] As another example, for one of the plurality of compartments, the processing device 140 may determine the target light transmittance of the light-transmissive window of the compartment based on the at least one target physical property of each of the target printing materials and the at least one second physical property of the target printing material corresponding to the compartment.

[0206] In 1108, the processing device 140 (e.g., the determination module 820) may determine at least one target printing parameter for fabricating the plurality of appliances based on the at least one target physical property of each of the target printing materials and the target light transmittances of the light-transmissive windows of the plurality of compartments.

[0207] Exemplary printing parameters may include an intensity of light beams emitted by a light source of the additive manufacturing device (e.g., the light source 210 of the additive manufacturing device 110), a wavelength of the light beams, an exposure time, an exposure energy, a waiting time, a layer thickness, a moving speed of a build platform of the additive manufacturing device (e.g., the build platform 230 of the additive manufacturing device 110), a cure depth (Cd), a printing speed, or the like, or any combination thereof.

[0208] In some embodiments, the processing device 140 may determine the at least one target printing parameter based on the target printing materials. For example, the processing device 140 may obtain the at least one target physical property of each of the target printing materials, and determine the at least one target printing parameter based on the at least one target physical property. More descriptions regarding the determination of the at least one target printing parameter may be found elsewhere in the present disclosure (e.g., FIG. 10 and the descriptions thereof).

[0209] In some embodiments, the at least one target printing parameter may include a set of target printing parameter(s) corresponding to one of the target printing materials. That is, the processing device 140 may determine the set of target printing parameter(s) for one of the target printing materials. The set of target printing parameter(s) may be determined in a similar manner as how the at least one target printing parameter is determined.

[0210] In 1110, the processing device 140 (e.g., the determination module 820) may determine the material tank based on the target light transmittances of the light-transmissive windows of the plurality of compartments. Operation 1110 may be similar to operation 910, which is not repeated herein.

[0211] In 1112, the processing device 140 (e.g., the control module 830) may cause the target printing materials to be filled into the plurality of compartments, respectively. Operation 1112 may be similar to operation 912, which is not repeated herein.

[0212] In 1114, the processing device 140 (e.g., the control module 830) may cause the additive manufacturing device to simultaneously print the plurality of appliances based on the at least one target printing parameter and the digital models.Attorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00

[0213] For example, each of the plurality of compartments may correspond to one of the plurality of appliances, and the plurality of appliances may be simultaneously printed through the additive manufacturing device based on the at least one target printing parameter and the digital models.

[0214] Merely by way of example, the plurality of appliances may include a set of denture teeth and a corresponding denture base, and the processing device 140 may cause the additive manufacturing device to simultaneously print the set of denture teeth and the corresponding denture base based on the at least one target printing parameter and the digital models. Operation 1114 may be similar to operation 914, which is not repeated herein.

[0215] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary computing device 1200 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0216] In some embodiments, one or more components of the system 100 may be implemented on the computing device 1200. For example, the processing device 140 may be implemented on the computing device 1200 and configured to implement the functions and / or methods disclosed in the present disclosure.

[0217] The computing device 1200 may include any components used to implement the system 100 described in the present disclosure. For example, the processing device 140 may be implemented through hardware, software program, firmware, or any combination thereof, on the computing device 1200. For illustration purposes, only one computer is described in FIG. 12, but computing functions related to the system 100 described in the present disclosure may be implemented in a distributed fashion by a group of similar platforms to spread the processing load of the system 100.

[0218] The computing device 1200 may include a communication port connected to a network to achieve data communication. The computing device 1200 may include a processor (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU)), a memory, a communication interface, a display unit, and an input device connected by a system bus. The processor of the computing device 1200 may be used to provide computing and control capabilities. The memory of the computing device 1200 may include a non-volatile storage medium, an internal memory. The non-volatile storage medium may store an operating system and a computer program. The internal memory may provide an environment for the execution of the operating system and the computer program in the nonvolatile storage medium. The communication interface of the computing device 1200 may be used for wired or wireless communication with an external terminal. The wireless communication may be realized through Wi-Fi, a mobile cellular network, a near field communication (NFC), etc. When the computer program is executed by the processor, a method for determining feature points may be implemented. The display unit of the computing device 1200 may include a liquid crystal display screen or an electronic ink display screen. The input device of the computing device 1200 may include a touch layer covered on the display unit, a device (e.g., a button, a trackball, a touchpad, etc.) set on the housing of the computing device 1200, an external keyboard, an external trackpad, an external mouse, etc.

[0219] Merely for illustration, only one processor is described in FIG. 12. However, it should be noted that the computing device 1200 in the present disclosure may also include multiple processors. Thus operations and / or method steps that are performed by one processor as described in the present disclosure may also be jointly or separately performed by the multiple processors. For example, if the processor of the computing device 1200 in the present disclosure executes both operation A and operation B, it should be understood that operation A and operation B may also be performed by two or more different processors jointly or separatelyAttorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00 (e.g., a first processor executes operation A and a second processor executes operation B, or the first and second processors jointly execute operations A and B).

[0220] Some embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium may store computer-executable instructions, and the computer-executable instructions may be used to cause a computer to implement the processes in the above embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0221] Having thus described the basic concepts, it may be rather apparent to those skilled in the art after reading this detailed disclosure that the foregoing detailed disclosure is intended to be presented by way of example only and is not limiting. Various alterations, improvements, and modifications may occur and are intended for those skilled in the art, though not expressly stated herein. These alterations, improvements, and modifications are intended to be suggested by this disclosure, and are within the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure.

[0222] Moreover, certain terminology has been used to describe embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the terms “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” and / or “some embodiments” mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Therefore, it is emphasized and should be appreciated that two or more references to “an embodiment” or “one embodiment” or “an alternative embodiment” in various portions of this disclosure are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined as suitable in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0223] Furthermore, the recited order of processing elements or sequences, or the use of numbers, letters, or other designations therefore, is not intended to limit the claimed processes and methods to any order except as may be specified in the claims. Although the above disclosure discusses through various examples what is currently considered to be a variety of useful embodiments of the disclosure, it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose, and that the appended claims are not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, are intended to cover modifications and equivalent arrangements that are within the spirit and scope of the disclosed embodiments. For example, although the implementation of various components described above may be embodied in a hardware device, it may also be implemented as a software only solution, e.g., an installation on an existing server or mobile device.

[0224] Similarly, it should be appreciated that in the foregoing description of embodiments of the present disclosure, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventive embodiments. This method of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed subject matter requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, inventive embodiments lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment.

[0225] In some embodiments, the numbers expressing quantities or properties used to describe and claim certain embodiments of the application are to be understood as being modified in some instances by the term “about,” “approximate,” or “substantially.” For example, “about,” “approximate,” or “substantially” may indicate ±20% variation of the value it describes, unless otherwise stated. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters set forth in the written description and attached claims are approximations that mayAttorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00 vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by a particular embodiment. In some embodiments, the numerical parameters should be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of some embodiments of the application are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as practicable.

[0226] Each of the patents, patent applications, publications of patent applications, and other material, such as articles, books, specifications, publications, documents, things, and / or the like, referenced herein is hereby incorporated herein by this reference in its entirety for all purposes, excepting any prosecution file history associated with same, any of same that is inconsistent with or in conflict with the present document, or any of same that may have a limiting effect as to the broadest scope of the claims now or later associated with the present document. By way of example, should there be any inconsistency or conflict between the description, definition, and / or the use of a term associated with any of the incorporated material and that associated with the present document, the description, definition, and / or the use of the term in the present document shall prevail.

[0227] In closing, it is to be understood that the embodiments of the application disclosed herein are illustrative of the principles of the embodiments of the application. Other modifications that may be employed may be within the scope of the application. Thus, by way of example, but not of limitation, alternative configurations of the embodiments of the application may be utilized in accordance with the teachings herein. Accordingly, embodiments of the present application are not limited to that precisely as shown and described.

Claims

Attorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A material tank for three-dimensional (3D) printing, comprising: a plurality of compartments, each of the plurality of compartments being configured to accommodate a printing material, wherein each of the plurality of compartments is provided with a light-transmissive window, and light transmittances of light-transmissive windows of at least two compartments of the plurality of compartments are different.

2. The material tank of claim 1, wherein at least one compartment among the plurality of compartments is detachably connected to a frame of the material tank.

3. The material tank of claim 1, wherein two adjacent compartments are separated by a separating wall, and the separating wall is detachably connected to a frame of the material tank.

4. The material tank of any one of claims 1-3, wherein a target light transmittance of a light-transmissive window of one of the plurality of compartments is determined by: obtaining at least one first physical property of each of the printing materials; and for one of the plurality of compartments, determining the target light transmittance of the light- transmissive window of the compartment at least based on the at least one first physical property of each of the printing materials.

5. The material tank of claim 4, wherein the determining the target light transmittance of the light-transmissive window of the compartment at least based on the at least one first physical property of each of the printing materials includes: obtaining a corresponding relationship between candidate light transmittances and candidate physical properties; and determining the target light transmittance of the light-transmissive window of the compartment based on the at least one first physical property of each of the printing materials and the corresponding relationship.

6. The material tank of claim 4 or claim 5, further comprising: determining at least one target printing parameter based on the target light transmittance of the light- transmissive window of each of the plurality of compartments and the at least one first physical property of each of the printing materials.

7. The material tank of claim 4, wherein the determining the target light transmittance of the light-transmissive window of the compartment based on the at least one first physical property of each of the printing materials includes: determining at least one target printing parameter based on the at least one first physical property, wherein the at least one target printing parameter is used for simultaneously printing different appliances using the printing materials; andAttorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00 determining the target light transmittance of the light-transmissive window of the compartment based on the at least one target printing parameter and the at least one first physical property of the target printing material corresponding to the compartment.

8. The material tank of claim 4, wherein the determining the target light transmittance of the light-transmissive window of the compartment based on the at least one first physical property of each of the printing materials includes: determining at least one target printing parameter based on the at least one first physical property, wherein the at least one target printing parameter is used for simultaneously printing different appliances using the printing materials; and determining the target light transmittance of the light-transmissive window of the compartment based on the at least one target printing parameter and at least one second physical property of the target printing material corresponding to the compartment.

9. The material tank of claim 8, wherein the determining at least one target printing parameter based on the at least one first physical property includes: determining the at least one target printing parameter by inputting the at least one first physical property of each of the 3D printing materials into a printing parameter determination model, the printing parameter determination model being a trained machine learning model.

10. The material tank of claim 8, wherein the determining the target light transmittance of the light- transmissive window of the compartment based on the at least one target printing parameter and the at least one second physical property of the target printing material corresponding to the compartment includes: obtaining a corresponding relationship between candidate light transmittances, candidate printing parameters, and candidate physical properties; and determining the target light transmittance of the light-transmissive window of the compartment based on the at least one target printing parameter, the at least one second physical property of the target printing material, and the corresponding relationship.

11. The material tank of claim 8, wherein the determining the target light transmittance of the light- transmissive window of the compartment based on the at least one target printing parameter and the at least one second physical property of the target printing material corresponding to the compartment includes: determining the target light transmittance of the light-transmissive window of the compartment by inputting the at least one target printing parameter and the at least one second physical property of the target printing material corresponding to the compartment into a light transmittance determination model, the light transmittance determination model being a trained machine learning model.

12. An additive manufacturing device, comprising: a light source assembly configured to provide light to cure one or more printing materials; andAttorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00 a material tank including a plurality of compartments, each of the plurality of compartments being configured to accommodate one of the one or more printing materials, wherein each of the plurality of compartments is provided with a light-transmissive window, and light transmittances of light-transmissive windows of at least two compartments of the plurality of compartments are different.

13. The additive manufacturing device of claim 12, further comprising: a build platform on which the printing materials are cured, wherein the build platform is provided with a dent structure, the dent structure being configured to accommodate a separating wall of the material tank between two adjacent compartments among the plurality of compartments.

14. The additive manufacturing device of claim 12, further comprising: a build platform on which the printing materials are cured, wherein the build platform is provided with a plurality of sub-platforms, each of the plurality of subplatforms corresponding to one of the plurality of compartments.

15. The additive manufacturing device of any one of claims 12-14, wherein at least one compartment among the plurality of compartments is detachably connected to a frame of the material tank.

16. The additive manufacturing device of any one of claims 12-14, wherein two adjacent compartments are separated by a separating wall, and the separating wall is detachably connected to a frame of the material tank.

17. The additive manufacturing device of any one of claims 12-16, wherein a target light transmittance of a light-transmissive window of one of the plurality of compartments is determined by: obtaining at least one first physical property of each of the printing materials; and for one of the plurality of compartments, determining the target light transmittance of the light- transmissive window of the compartment at least based on the at least one first physical property of each of the printing materials.

18. The additive manufacturing device of claim 17, wherein the determining the target light transmittance of the light-transmissive window of the compartment at least based on the at least one first physical property of each of the printing materials includes: obtaining a corresponding relationship between candidate light transmittances and candidate physical properties; and determining the target light transmittance of the light-transmissive window of the compartment based on the at least one first physical property of each of the printing materials and the corresponding relationship.

19. The additive manufacturing device of claim 17 or claim 18, further comprising:Attorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO00 determining at least one target printing parameter based on the target light transmittance of the light- transmissive window of each of the plurality of compartments and the at least one first physical property of each of the printing materials.

20. The additive manufacturing device of claim 17, wherein the determining the target light transmittance of the light-transmissive window of the compartment based on the at least one first physical property of each of the printing materials includes: determining at least one target printing parameter based on the at least one first physical property, wherein the at least one target printing parameter is used for simultaneously printing different appliances using the printing materials; and determining the target light transmittance of the light-transmissive window of the compartment based on the at least one target printing parameter and the at least one first physical property of the target printing material corresponding to the compartment.

21. The additive manufacturing device of claim 17, wherein the determining the target light transmittance of the light-transmissive window of the compartment based on the at least one first physical property of each of the printing materials includes: determining at least one target printing parameter based on the at least one first physical property, wherein the at least one target printing parameter is used for simultaneously printing different appliances using the printing materials; and determining the target light transmittance of the light-transmissive window of the compartment based on the at least one target printing parameter and at least one second physical property of the target printing material corresponding to the compartment.

22. The additive manufacturing device of claim 21, wherein the determining at least one target printing parameter based on the at least one first physical property includes: determining the at least one target printing parameter by inputting the at least one first physical property of each of the 3D printing materials into a printing parameter determination model, the printing parameter determination model being a trained machine learning model.

23. The additive manufacturing device of claim 21, wherein the determining the target light transmittance of the light-transmissive window of the compartment based on the at least one target printing parameter and the at least one second physical property of the target printing material corresponding to the compartment includes: obtaining a corresponding relationship between candidate light transmittances, candidate printing parameters, and candidate physical properties; and determining the target light transmittance of the light-transmissive window of the compartment based on the at least one target printing parameter, the at least one second physical property of the target printing material, and the corresponding relationship.Attorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO0024. The additive manufacturing device of claim 21, wherein the determining the target light transmittance of the light-transmissive window of the compartment based on the at least one target printing parameter and the at least one second physical property of the target printing material corresponding to the compartment includes: determining the target light transmittance of the light-transmissive window of the compartment by inputting the at least one target printing parameter and the at least one second physical property of the target printing material corresponding to the compartment into a light transmittance determination model, the light transmittance determination model being a trained machine learning model.

25. A method for three-dimensional (3D) printing, applied to an additive manufacturing device, wherein the additive manufacturing device includes a light source assembly and a material tank including a plurality of compartments configured to accommodate printing materials, and the method comprises: obtaining digital models representing a plurality of appliances; determining target printing materials used for fabricating the plurality of appliances; determining at least one target printing parameter for fabricating the plurality of appliances; determining target light transmittances of light-transmissive windows of the plurality of compartments based on at least one target physical property of each of the target printing materials and the at least one target printing parameter; determining the material tank based on the target light transmittances of the light-transmissive windows of the plurality of compartments; causing the target printing materials to be filled into the plurality of compartments, respectively; and causing the additive manufacturing device to simultaneously print the plurality of appliances based on the at least one target printing parameter and the digital models.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the plurality of appliances includes a first appliance, a second appliance, and a third appliance, and a printing time of the first appliance is longer than a sum of a printing time of the second appliance and a printing time of the third appliance.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising: stopping the printing after the second appliance is printed; and replacing a compartment accommodating a second printing material used for fabricating the second appliance with a compartment accommodating a third printing material corresponding to the third appliance.

28. The method of claim 26 or claim 27, further comprising: printing a separating layer between the second appliance and the third appliance.

29. The method of any one of claims 25-28, wherein the target printing materials in the plurality of compartments are the same or different.Attorney Docket No. 20744-D043WO0030. The method of any one of claims 25-29, wherein the plurality of appliances include a set of denture teeth and a corresponding denture base, and the causing the additive manufacturing device to simultaneously print the plurality of appliances based on the at least one target printing parameter and the digital models includes: causing the additive manufacturing device to simultaneously print the set of denture teeth and the corresponding denture base based on the at least one target printing parameter and the digital models.

31. A method for three-dimensional (3D) printing, applied to an additive manufacturing device, wherein the additive manufacturing device includes a light source assembly and a material tank including a plurality of compartments configured to accommodate printing materials, and the method comprises: obtaining digital models representing a plurality of appliances; determining target printing materials used for fabricating the plurality of appliances; determining target light transmittances of light-transmissive windows of the plurality of compartments based on at least one target physical property of each of the target printing materials; determining at least one target printing parameter for fabricating the plurality of appliances based on the at least one target physical property of each of the target printing materials and the target light transmittances of the light-transmissive windows of the plurality of compartments; determining the material tank based on the target light transmittances of the light-transmissive windows of the plurality of compartments; causing the target printing materials to be filled into the plurality of compartments, respectively; and causing the additive manufacturing device to simultaneously print the plurality of appliances based on the at least one target printing parameter and the digital models.

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