3D Printing Configuration Data for Color and Material Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing 3D printing technologies face challenges in accurately characterizing and controlling color and material properties, often requiring a-priori information about available materials and making complex assumptions that can lead to discontinuities in object production.
Innovation Solution
The generation of configuration data that maps color properties to material volume coverage vector values, allowing for the characterization of 3D printing apparatuses to produce desired object properties without assuming specific materials or their operations, using test object portions and measurement data to create a mapping from object data to control data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing 3D printing technologies use a-priori information about available materials and make complex assumptions, then they can control material properties, but this leads to discontinuities in object production and reduced reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary characterization of the 3D printing apparatus by generating configuration data that maps color properties to material volume coverage vector values before actual object production. This preliminary action eliminates the need for complex a-priori material assumptions during production, as the apparatus characteristics are pre-determined through systematic measurement and mapping procedures
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces configuration data as an intermediary that bridges the gap between object model inputs and control data outputs. This configuration data, generated through characterization procedures using test object portions and measurement data, serves as a lookup table or mapping structure that eliminates the need for complex real-time material property calculations and assumptions
2Manufacturing precision
If 3D printing apparatus characterize color and material properties using test object portions and measurement data, then they can produce accurate object properties, but this requires additional processing steps and time
Solution Approach 1:
The characterization procedure is performed as a preliminary action before production, generating configuration data that stores the mapping between color properties and material volume coverage vector values. This one-time preliminary characterization eliminates the need for repeated measurements during production, as the pre-generated configuration data can be quickly consulted during object fabrication
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a simplified representation (configuration data) that copies the essential relationships between color properties and material volume coverage. This copied mapping structure allows rapid lookup and application during production without requiring access to the full complexity of the original characterization measurements
Data Source
AI summary
Certain examples described herein relate to apparatus arranged to produce a three-dimensional object. These examples enable color and material properties of such an apparatus to be characterized. This is achieved through the generation of configuration data for the apparatus that maps at least one color property to one or more material volume coverage vector values. This allows for appropriate quantities of materials available to the apparatus to be used to produce colors defined in received object data for the three-dimensional object.