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Methods for printing of three-dimensional objects

This application is a Divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/537,458, filed Jun. 3, 2005, which is a National Phase Application of PCT International Application No. PCT/IL2003/001024, International Filing Date Dec. 3, 2003, entitled “PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR THREE-DIMENSIONAL PRINTING”, which in turn claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application, 60/430,362, filed Dec. 3, 2002, which are all incorporated by reference herein in their entirety

The present invention relates to apparatuses and methods useful in three-dimensional object printing. Specifically, embodiments of the present invention relate to systems, methods, and apparatuses for helping to improve the quality of printed three-dimensional objects.

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is a process used for the printing of three-dimensional objects, for example by printing or building parts of such objects in layers. Such 3D objects may be used, for example, for prototype parts.

Various systems have been developed for three-dimensional printing, wherein material for object printing is deposited in consecutive layers according to a pre-determined configuration or in selected arrays as defined by, for example, a Computer Aided, Design (CAD) system connected to the printing systems. Such materials may include materials for constructing an object and materials used for constructing support structures for an object.

According to some apparatuses, systems and methods for 3-D printing, predetermined or preprogrammed configurations and designs using, for example, CAD software, may aim at obtaining as accurate a final product as possible. However, each printed product or model is different, whether in shape, design, size, bulk, composition and so on, and these differences may be affected by different factors during the printing process, such as heat, chemical reactions of the photopolymer material to curing, internal strains (e.g., within the object) due to strains such as, for example shrinkage of the materials during curing and/or cooling, environmental influences within the printing apparatus, for example temperature fluctuations etc. Adverse effects may take on different forms such as various deformations in the finished product. In addition, the quality of the finished product may be affected by these and other factors.

Embodiments of the present invention provide apparatuses and methods for controlling the quality of printing in three-dimensional object-printing systems. A printing system, according to some embodiments of the present invention, may include a printing apparatus to print three-dimensional objects; a controller that may prepare the digital data that characterizes the 3-D object for printing, and control the operation of the printing apparatus; and a printing tray with a selected adhesion characteristic. The adhesion characteristic may be, for example, a high adhesion coating for high adhesion to the object's building material(s). The surface coating of the tray may be, for example, an anodized aluminum coating, which may include, for example, pores containing a material that acts to adhere to the printed objects. The pores may, for example, be filled with water. Alternatively, the printing tray may be pretreated with water.

According to some embodiments of the present invention the printing system may include a printing apparatus to print three-dimensional objects; a controller programmed to control the printing apparatus; and a printing tray with a thermal expansion coefficient similar to that of an object to be built. The printing tray may include organic material and/or may include material whose thermal expansion coefficient may be substantially similar to that of the objects being printed.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, a printing apparatus for three-dimensional printing may be provided that may include a printing head (e.g., an ink jet head or another suitable material deposit system or dispenser) to deposit material for a three-dimensional object; a printing tray to support the objects being printed by the apparatus; and a temperature control unit to control the temperature in the apparatus. The temperature control unit may include, for example, a heating source or mechanism and a cooling source or mechanism. The temperature control unit may be integrated into the printing tray. For example, the printing tray may include cooling tunnels and/or heating elements and/or temperature sensors.

According to some embodiments of the present invention a printing apparatus for three-dimensional printing may include a printing head, a printing tray, and a blowing unit to cool layers of an object after printing. In other embodiments such a printing apparatus may include a sucking unit to cool layers of an object after printing.

According to some embodiments of the present invention the printing apparatus for three-dimensional printing may include a printing sub-system or other suitable container which may be insulated for, for example, temperature control. The cell may include a temperature control unit. The temperature control unit may include a heating source or mechanism and/or a cooling source or mechanism. Heating of the cell, for example, may be brought about by the tray, which may be heated by heating elements. The printing sub-system may include material that may be reflective in the IR wavelength region. The printing sub-system may include at least one insulation structure. The printing sub-system may include an upper heating element, radiation source, lamp, or other suitable heat source, to control the temperature of the printing sub-system and/or heat the upper layers of an object being printed.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the printing apparatus may include a printing sub-system and an insulation area to insulate an object or set of objects whose printing may be complete. The insulation area may include a temperature control unit. The printing apparatus may include at least two printing trays.

According to some embodiments of the present invention a three-dimensional printing system may include a printing nozzle detector mechanism. Nozzle status data detected by the nozzle detector mechanism may be computed and/or analyzed by a controller, for example, using suitable executable code.

According to some embodiments of the present invention the printing system may include one or more leveling devices associated with a printing head array.

According to some embodiments of the present invention the printing system may include a curing lamp located at a side of the printing head, and a leveling device and/or another curing lamp located at the other side of the printing head.

According to some embodiments of the present invention a printing apparatus for three-dimensional printing may include a controller to control construction of building material at the base of an object to be printed, and print the object on the construction. The controller may act to dispense building material beneath the base of said object to be printed. The construction may adhere to the object and to a printing tray on which the object is to be printed. The construction may provide a barrier layer between the object and the printing tray. The construction may provide a carpet between the object and the printing tray. The construction may provide a pedestal between the object and the printing tray. The construction may raise the object being built within the leveling range of a leveling device.

According to some embodiments of the present invention a printing apparatus for three-dimensional printing may include a controller to control the building of a thickening layer of building material of a predetermined thickness around a printed object. The thickening layer include one or more building materials.

According to some embodiments of the present invention a printing apparatus for three-dimensional printing may include a controller to position a printing tray at a relatively high level prior to printing, the level enabling compensation for shrinkage in a previously printed and cured layer.