Continuous 3D Printing on Pliable Substrates With Edge Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
The throughput of 3D printing is limited by the need to return the printer to an initial state after each printed article, and wider substrates used in continuous production are prone to sagging, bowing, or warping during printing.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for maintaining a flat and controlled pliable substrate by pinching its peripheral edges and supporting its back side, allowing continuous printing with precise control of substrate movement and polymer layer formation, using mechanisms that do not span the printed surface and employing a transparent window for faster polymer precursor reflow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the width of the roll of pliable substrate is increased to improve productivity, then continuous production capability is improved, but the substrate becomes more prone to sagging, bowing, warping, or wrinkling
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate width is segmented into multiple zones with different control characteristics. The edges of the substrate are pinched by pinch rollers to maintain flatness, while the center portion is allowed to sag slightly. This segmentation of the substrate into controlled edge zones and flexible center zones resolves the contradiction by enabling continuous production with wider substrates without compromising overall flatness.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the substrate are given different mechanical treatments. The peripheral edges are pinched by pinch rollers to maintain tension and flatness, while the central region is not pinched and can sag naturally. This local differentiation allows the substrate to maintain flatness where needed (at the edges) while accommodating the natural sagging in the center, enabling continuous production with wider substrates.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a roller spanning the width of the substrate is used to maintain flatness, then substrate flatness is improved, but the printed surface is contacted and potentially damaged
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a single roller spanning the entire substrate width, the system uses pinch rollers that contact only the peripheral edges of the substrate. This segmentation of the support function into edge-only contact points maintains substrate flatness at the critical printing zones while avoiding contact with the printed surface, thus preventing damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The pinch rollers act as intermediaries that apply mechanical support to the substrate edges without directly contacting the printed surface. By positioning the rollers at the periphery rather than spanning the width, they mediate between the need for substrate tension and the need to protect the printed artwork, resolving the contradiction between flatness maintenance and surface protection.
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
Enables continuous 3D printing with high precision and reduced distortion, achieving mechanical precision of less than 10 micrometers and pixel-by-pixel accuracy, while maintaining substrate flatness and preventing deformation of printed articles.
Implementation Method 1
a digital light processor configured to direct radiation through the polymer precursor at a chosen portion of the polymer precursor in proximity to the pliable substrate
Data Source
AI summary
Provided herein are systems and methods for printing a 3D object on a pliable substrate. In some aspects, the pliable substrate is moved through a vat of polymeric precursor while a mechanism (e.g., having opposing belts) maintains contact with the peripheral edges of the substrate. The systems and methods described herein can have certain advantages, such as precise control over the pliable substrate, allowing for precision printing of 3D articles.