3D Printing Support Gap Slicing for Smoother Part Surfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional 3D printing methods deposit support and body materials simultaneously, leading to a mixed interface that results in micro-cracks and inferior mechanical properties, such as brittleness and rough surfaces, which can cause part distortion, lower accuracy, and increased water absorption.
Innovation Solution
A system and method where the 3D digital data is manipulated to create shifted slices, allowing the body and support materials to be deposited at different heights, thereby avoiding direct contact and forming a smoother surface with better mechanical properties by introducing a delay between the deposition of the two materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If support material and body material are deposited simultaneously layer by layer, then the printing process efficiency is improved, but micro-cracks and surface roughness occur leading to inferior mechanical properties
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the deposition process into separate operations: body material is deposited first to form a preliminary structure, then support material is deposited in subsequent scans to form support regions. This segmentation prevents the formation of mixed layers and associated micro-cracks, resolving the contradiction between printing efficiency and mechanical strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The body material is deposited in advance to create a preliminary 3D structure before support material is added. This preliminary action allows the body material to set properly without being mixed with support material, eliminating micro-cracks while maintaining efficient printing through subsequent support material deposition.
2Ease of manufacture
If support material and body material are deposited in the same layer, then the deposition process is simplified, but a mixed interface is formed causing brittleness and surface roughness
Solution Approach 1:
The deposition process is segmented into distinct phases: first depositing body material layers, then depositing support material in separate scans. This segmentation eliminates the mixed interface problem while keeping the overall process simple through automated multi-scan deposition sequences.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a temporal dimension to the deposition process by using multiple scanning passes at different times. Body material is deposited in earlier scans, and support material is deposited in later scans, creating vertical separation without complicating the horizontal deposition mechanism.
3Reliability
If support material is deposited to support negative angle surfaces and overhangs, then the structural integrity during printing is improved, but micro-cracks are left upon support removal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments support material deposition into separate scanning operations that occur after body material deposition. This allows support structures to be formed without creating mixed interfaces, maintaining structural integrity during printing while preventing micro-crack formation that would occur with simultaneous deposition.
Solution Approach 2:
Body material structures are formed in advance before support material is deposited. This preliminary formation of the body structure allows for proper support placement without contamination from mixed material layers, ensuring both structural integrity and final part strength.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution results in a 3D printed object with a smoother surface and improved mechanical properties, reducing micro-cracks and brittleness, and eliminating the need for costly post-processing techniques like sanding and polishing.
Implementation Method 1
material is selectively jetted from one or more print heads and deposited onto a fabrication tray in consecutive layers
Implementation Method 2
After the deposition the deposited layers are hardened (e.g., by ultraviolet (UV) curing)
Data Source
AI summary
A method of printing a three-dimensional (3D) object and a support construction for the 3D object includes depositing a model material, layer-by-layer, on a fabrication platform, to print a first portion of the 3D object, and depositing a support material, layer-by-layer on the fabrication platform, to print the support construction, wherein, in a predetermined number of the deposited layers, the model material and the support material are deposited such that a gap is formed between a surface of the first portion of the 3D object and a surface of the support construction.