Additive-Ablative 3D Fabrication for High-Resolution Atmospheric Curing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional SFF technologies face challenges in achieving high resolution and speed due to oxygen inhibition during curing, especially in low-intensity processes, and require specialized inert environments, limiting material choices and embedding capabilities.
Innovation Solution
A method and system combining additive manufacturing with selective ablation using laser beams at ultraviolet or infrared wavelengths, allowing resolutions below 16 µm, enabling fabrication of 3D objects from various materials, including embedding foreign elements without a working chamber.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If conventional SFF uses low-intensity UV curing (LED or UVA), then energy consumption is reduced and material damage is minimized, but oxygen inhibition occurs causing uncured surfaces and reduced resolution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the wavelength parameter of the curing light from conventional UV (365-405 nm) to violet-blue visible light (405-480 nm). This parameter change allows the use of lower intensity curing while avoiding oxygen inhibition, as the shorter wavelengths have higher energy and can cure through atmospheric oxygen without requiring inert environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the conventional UV curing mechanism with violet-blue visible light curing. This substitution eliminates the need for oxygen-free environments and inert gas atmospheres, allowing atmospheric curing while maintaining high resolution and surface quality.
2Ease of operation
If conventional SFF uses atmospheric curing environment, then device complexity is reduced and operation is simplified, but oxygen inhibition prevents proper curing of monomer surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the wavelength parameter to violet-blue visible light (405-480 nm), which has sufficient energy to cure monomers in the presence of atmospheric oxygen. This eliminates the need for complex inert gas environments while ensuring complete and reliable curing of the material surfaces.
3Manufacturing precision
If material is dispensed at high resolution, then manufacturing precision is improved, but fabrication speed decreases due to complex dispensing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the fabrication process into two distinct stages: (1) rapid dispensing of material at lower resolution, and (2) selective ablation at high resolution to define final features. This segmentation allows each stage to be optimized independently, achieving high overall precision without sacrificing fabrication speed in the dispensing stage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the conventional approach by dispensing material first at lower resolution for speed, then using ablation to achieve high resolution features. This is the reverse of the traditional method where high-resolution dispensing is attempted directly, which is slow and complex.
4Manufacturing precision
If selective ablation is used to achieve high resolution features, then manufacturing precision is improved, but material is removed requiring subsequent filling operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a single material type that serves multiple functions: it is dispensed as the base material, then selectively ablated to create high-resolution features, and finally any remaining material is removed by ablation to reveal the precise features. This multi-functional use of one material and one primary process (ablation) simplifies the overall system compared to using multiple materials and multiple deposition/removal processes.
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 method provides improved resolution and fabrication speed, supports a wide range of materials, and allows in-situ embedding of foreign elements, overcoming oxygen inhibition and environmental constraints.
Implementation Method 1
selectively ablating the building material according to respective slice data
Implementation Method 2
The ablation is by an ablation system... When the ablation is by a laser beam, it can provide a lateral resolution of less than 16 μm
Implementation Method 3
The UV laser causes the bath to polymerize where the laser beam strikes the surface of the bath, resulting in the creation of a solid plastic layer just below the surface
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 2C~2D
AI summary
A method of solid free form fabrication (SFF) is disclosed. The method comprises: receiving SFF data collectively pertaining to a three-dimensional shape of the object and comprising a plurality of slice data each defining a layer of the object. The method also comprises, for each of at least a few of the layers, dispensing a building material on a receiving medium, straightening the building material, and selectively ablating the building material according to respective slice data.