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EP-4194177-B1 - METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ROTATIONAL 3D PRINTING

EP4194177B1EP 4194177 B1EP4194177 B1EP 4194177B1EP-4194177-B1

Inventors

  • MENCHIK, GUY
  • BRESSLER, YOAV
  • CARLSON, Andrew James
  • HEDLUND, Jonathan Bennhard
  • CAMPION, KEVIN READY
  • SIMON, Robert Earl
  • PETERSON, Nathaniel Michael
  • BEAVER, SCOTT WAYNE
  • LEVIN, EVGENI
  • LIBINSON, ALEXANDER

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20150713

Claims (15)

  1. A system (10) for three-dimensional printing, comprising: a rotary tray (12) configured to rotate about a vertical axis (14); a plurality of printing heads (16), each having a plurality of nozzles (22), characterized in the printing heads (16) being arranged at different radial positions (r 1 , r 2 , r 3 ) with respect to said tray (12) wherein the printing heads (16) are able to move reciprocally along a radial direction (r); and in that the system further comprises a controller (20) configured for controlling said printing heads (16) to dispense, during said rotation, droplets of modeling material in layers, such as to print a three-dimensional object on a working area (26) of said tray (12) without varying said radial positions (r 1 , r 2 , r 3 ) of said heads (16).
  2. The system (10) according to claim 1, wherein a number of said heads (16) and lengths of said heads (16) along a radial direction (r) are selected such that said heads (16) cover an entire width of said working area (26).
  3. The system (10) according to any of claims 1-2, wherein all said heads (16) dispense droplets of the same modeling material.
  4. The system (10) according to any of claims 1-3, wherein said printing heads (16) are capable of being relocated radially, and said controller (20) is configured to select a dispensing rate of each printing head (16) based on a respective radial position (r 1 , r 2 , r 3 ) of said printing head (16).
  5. The system (10) according to claim 4, wherein said dispensing rate is selected to maintain the same printing resolution for all heads (16).
  6. The system (10) according to any of claims 1-5, wherein for at least one head (16), different nozzles (22) which are at different distances from said axis (14) dispense said building material at different dispensing rates.
  7. The system (10) according to any of claims 1-5, wherein said controller (20) is configure to control said printing heads (16) to dispense droplets such that an azimuthal distance between sequentially dispensed droplets varies as a function of said radial position (r 1 , r 2 , r 3 ) of said heads (16) along a radial direction (r).
  8. A method of three-dimensional printing, comprising: receiving three-dimensional printing data corresponding to a shape of an object; characterized by controlling a plurality of printing heads (16) arranged at different radial positions (r 1 , r 2 , r 3 ) with respect to a rotating tray (12) to dispense on said tray (12) droplets of a modeling material based on said printing data, such as to print a three-dimensional object on a working area (26) of said tray (12), without varying said radial positions (r 1 , r 2 , r 3 ) of said heads (16).
  9. The method according to claim 8, wherein a number of said heads (16) and lengths of said heads (16) along a radial direction (r) are selected such that said heads (16) cover an entire width of said working area (26).
  10. The method according to any of claims 8 and 9, wherein all said heads (16) dispense droplets of the same modeling material.
  11. The method according to any of claims 8-10, wherein said printing heads (16) are capable of being relocated radially, and wherein a dispensing rate of each printing head (16) is selected based on a respective radial position (r 1 , r 2 , r 3 ) of said printing head.
  12. The method according to claim 11, wherein said dispensing rate is selected to maintain the same printing resolution for all heads (16).
  13. The method according to any of claims 8-12, wherein for at least one head (16), different nozzles (22) which are at different distances from said axis (14), dispense said building material at different dispensing rates.
  14. The method according to any of claims 8-13, wherein said controlling is such as to ensure that for each head (16) an azimuthal distance between sequentially dispensed droplets varies as a function of a respective radial position (r 1 , r 2 , r 3 ) of said head (16).
  15. The method of claim 14, wherein said variation of azimuthal distance is based on a probabilistic function of said radial position (r 1 , r 2 , r 3 ).

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/023,897 filed July 13, 2014. This application is being co-filed with U.S. Provisional Patent Application entitled "Waste Disposal for 3D Printing", attorney docket 63080, U.S. Provisional Patent Application entitled "METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR 3D PRINTING", attorney docket 63081, U.S. Provisional Patent Application entitled "Operation of Printing Nozzles in Additive Manufacture", attorney docket 63083, U.S. Provisional Patent Application entitled "LEVELING APPARATUS FOR A 3D PRINTER", attorney docket 63084. FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to three-dimensional printing and, more particularly, but not exclusively, to rotational three-dimensional printing. Additive manufacturing (AM) is generally a process in which a three-dimensional (3D) object is manufactured utilizing a computer model of the objects. Such a process is used in various fields, such as design related fields for purposes of visualization, demonstration and mechanical prototyping, as well as for rapid manufacturing. The basic operation of any additive manufacturing system consists of slicing a three-dimensional computer model into thin cross sections, translating the result into two-dimensional position data and feeding the data to control equipment which manufacture a three-dimensional structure in a layerwise manner. Additive manufacturing entails many different approaches to the method of fabrication, including three-dimensional printing, e.g., three-dimensional inkjet printing, laminated object manufacturing, fused deposition modeling and others. In three-dimensional printing processes, for example, a building material is dispensed from a dispensing head having a set of nozzles to deposit layers on a supporting structure. Depending on the building material, the layers may then be cured or solidified using a suitable device. The building material may include modeling material, which forms the object, and support material, which supports the object as it is being built. Various three-dimensional printing techniques exist and are disclosed in, e.g., U.S. Patent Nos. 6,259,962, 6,569,373, 6,658,314, 6,850,334, 7,183,335, 7,209,797, 7,225,045, 7,300,619, 7,364,686, 7,500,846, 7,658,976, 7,962,237, and 9,031,680, and U.S. Published Application No. US 20130040091, all of the same Assignee. For example, U.S. Patent No. 9,031,680 discloses a system which comprises an additive manufacturing apparatus having a plurality of dispensing heads, a building material supply apparatus configured to supply a plurality of building materials to the fabrication apparatus, and a controller configured for controlling the fabrication and supply apparatus. The system has several operation modes. In one mode, all dispensing heads operate during a single building scan cycle of the fabrication apparatus. In another mode, one or more of the dispensing heads is not operative during a single building scan cycle or part thereof. U.S. Patent No. 7,291,002 discloses apparatus for fabricating a three-dimensional object. A rotary annular build drum receives successive layers of a powder build material, and a print head is disposed above the annular build drum and is configured for selectively dispensing droplets of a liquid binder onto the powder. U.S. Patent No. 8,172,562 discloses apparatus for manufacturing a three-dimensional object. This apparatus includes a building container, a support in the building container, and a stationary material application device that applies layers of a building material onto the support. A drive generates a movement of the container around an axis of rotation, and a vertical drive generates a vertical movement of the support. U.S. Published Application No. 20080109102 discloses apparatus for manufacturing three dimensional items. The apparatus of this disclosure includes a computer controller, a build platform for carrying an item under manufacture, and a build station for forming upon the item a layer of material. Either of the build station and the build platform is mounted and driven such as to rotate about an axis, so that the surface of the item under manufacture is repeatedly presented to the build station. U.S. Published Application No. 2008042321 discloses an apparatus and associated methods for producing three-dimensional objects more rapidly and efficiently than previously achievable by continuously printing, using multiple printheads. Additionally disclosed are systems and methods for maintaining and operating the aforementioned apparatus. U.S. Patent No. 6,902,248 discloses an inkjet recording method that utilizes a line-array inkjet head, sets different ink ejection frequencies for respective ink ejection holes disposed in array and ejects ink onto a plate-shaped recording medium at the different ink ejection frequencies from the ink ejection holes to perfo