Lithography Additive Manufacturing Viscosity Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Lithography-based additive manufacturing faces limitations due to high viscosity requirements for photopolymer materials, which restricts material properties such as temperature resistance and tenacity, and existing process control methods are either costly or unstable.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a translationally movable material support with adjustable doctor blades for precise application and removal of thin photopolymer layers, combined with selective heating and a refill system to maintain process stability and control air inclusions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If photopolymer materials with high viscosity are used to improve material properties such as temperature resistance and tenacity, then material quality is improved, but the material cannot be properly processed in conventional lithography-based additive manufacturing which requires low viscosity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the photopolymer material by heating it to elevated temperatures (e.g., 40-80°C or higher), which reduces the viscosity and enables high-viscosity materials with superior temperature resistance and tenacity to be processed in lithography-based additive manufacturing
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a dynamically adjustable material support that can be tilted and positioned at different angles during the printing process, enabling precise control of material flow and layer application for viscous photopolymers that cannot be processed in static conventional systems
2Ease of manufacture
If dipping processes are used to process photopolymerizable material, then material application is simple, but large amounts of reactive consumable material are required which increases handling complexity and process costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the material application process by using a material support with defined edges that limits material to only the necessary build area, preventing excessive material usage while maintaining simple application through controlled deposition on the segmented support structure
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a thin-film material support (such as a transparent substrate or membrane) that allows precise material confinement to the build area while maintaining flexibility in material application and removal, reducing the overall quantity of photopolymerizable material needed compared to bulk dipping processes
3Quantity of substance
If exposure through material vat bottom is used to reduce material amount, then material usage is reduced, but precise control of layer thickness requires highly precise distance control between object and vat bottom
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies material slightly in excess of the final layer thickness requirement, then removes the excess through controlled material support tilting and positioning, achieving precise layer thickness without requiring extremely precise initial material application or distance control
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a dynamically adjustable material support that can be tilted and positioned at different angles during the printing process, enabling precise control of material flow and layer thickness through motion control rather than relying solely on static precision positioning
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 the precise processing of highly viscous photopolymers with improved material properties and reduced material usage, ensuring long-term stability and efficient production.
Implementation Method 1
a photopolymerizable starting material is processed in layers to molded bodies
Implementation Method 2
process control at elevated temperatures. Already a slight increase in the process temperature over normal room temperature (20° C.) will drastically reduce the viscosity of most photopolymers
Data Source
AI summary
A method for the lithography-based additive manufacture of three-dimensional molded bodies, in which a build platform is positioned at a distance from a material support, which is permeable to the radiation of a radiation source at least in some areas, for a material solidifiable by exposure to said radiation, wherein the material support is translationally moved between a first position and a second position, characterized in that material is applied with a defined layer thickness during the movement of the material support from the first position to the second position, after this the applied material, between the build platform and the material support, is location- and/or time-selectively irradiated by the radiation source and solidified, and subsequently material is removed from the material support during the movement of the material support from the second position to the first position.