Build Plate Assemblies for Continuous Liquid Interphase Printing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional three-dimensional fabrication techniques, particularly 'bottom-up' methods, require mechanical separation steps that can complicate the process, slow down production, and potentially distort the final product due to physical and chemical interactions, and lack continuous processes that are non-destructive to the object being produced.
Innovation Solution
The development of a continuous liquid interphase printing (CLIP) method and apparatus that uses a build plate assembly with a lighting panel, optically transparent gas-impermeable screen, and a flexible gas-permeable sheet to form three-dimensional objects by continuously irradiating a polymerizable liquid and advancing the carrier away from the build surface, maintaining a dead zone and polymerization gradient to avoid mechanical separation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If mechanical separation steps are used in bottom-up fabrication techniques, then the solidified layer can be separated from the bottom plate, but the process becomes complicated, production slows down, and the final product may be distorted due to physical and chemical interactions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the mechanical separation step from the fabrication process by using a build plate material that inherently prevents adhesion. The build plate is made from a material selected from Group 14 of the periodic table (such as silicon or silicon dioxide) that does not chemically bond with the photopolymer resin, allowing layers to be released without mechanical intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical separation system with a chemical/material property-based release mechanism. Instead of using elastic separation layers, sliding mechanisms, or other mechanical elements to detach solidified layers, the invention relies on the intrinsic non-adhesive properties of Group 14 materials to the photopolymer, substituting mechanical complexity with material science.
2Manufacturing precision
If elastic separation layers are used to achieve non-destructive separation, then the solidified material can be separated without damage, but additional mechanical elements are introduced that complicate the apparatus
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the elastic separation layer from the system entirely. By selecting a build plate material from Group 14 that naturally repels the photopolymer resin, the invention eliminates the need for intermediate elastic layers while maintaining non-destructive separation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the mechanical elastic separation layer with a material property-based release mechanism. The Group 14 build plate material's inherent chemical inertness toward the photopolymer resin provides the separation function without requiring additional mechanical components.
3Ease of operation
If sliding build plates are used to separate layers, then mechanical separation is achieved, but the process is slowed down and the apparatus is complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the sliding build plate mechanism from the system. By using a stationary Group 14 build plate material that prevents adhesion, the invention removes the mechanical sliding component entirely, allowing for faster and simpler layer release.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical sliding build plate system with a stationary build plate made of Group 14 material. The separation function is achieved through material properties rather than mechanical motion, eliminating the sliding mechanism and associated complexity while improving fabrication speed.
4Ease of operation
If top-down techniques are used with a deep pool of liquid resin, then new layers can be formed at the top surface, but the apparatus becomes complicated and the process requires submerging and reconstituting the object repeatedly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional top-down approach by using bottom-up fabrication. Instead of forming layers at the top surface of a deep resin pool and submerging the object repeatedly, the invention builds layers from the bottom surface, allowing the object to emerge incrementally without repeated submersion and reconstitution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent removes the deep pool structure and repeated submersion steps from the process. By inverting to bottom-up fabrication with a Group 14 build plate, the invention eliminates the need for a deep resin pool and the complex operations of submerging and reconstituting the object after each layer formation.
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
This approach allows for the continuous production of three-dimensional objects without the need for mechanical separation steps, enhancing speed and reducing distortion, while maintaining a stable polymerization process.
Implementation Method 1
irradiating the build region with light through the build plate to produce a solid polymerized region in the build region
Implementation Method 2
a flexible gas-permeable sheet to form three-dimensional objects by continuously irradiating a polymerizable liquid and advancing the carrier away from the build surface, maintaining a dead zone and polymerization gradient
Data Source
AI summary
A build plate assembly for a three-dimensional printer includes: a lighting panel having individually addressable pixels configured to selectively emit light and/or transmit light from illumination below the pixels to a top surface top surface of the lighting panel; a rigid, optically transparent, gas-impermeable planar screen or base having an upper surface having an uneven surface topology and a lower surface that is affixed to the top surface of the lighting panel; and a flexible, optically transparent, gas-permeable sheet having upper and lower surfaces, the upper surface comprising a build surface for forming a three-dimensional object, the sheet lower surface positioned opposite the base, wherein the build plate is configured to permit gas flow to the build surface.