Patent (10) Patent N0.: US 7,766,641 B2 Silverbrook

1. US007766641B2
(12) Ulllted States Patent (10) Patent N0.: US 7,766,641 B2
Silverbrook (45) Date of Patent: *Aug. 3, 2010
(54) THREE DIMENSIONAL (3D) PRINTER 5,594,652 A 1/1997 Penn et a1.
SYSTEM WITH PLACEMENT AND CURING 5,705,117 A 1/1998 O’Connor et a1.
MECHANISMS 5,869,170 A 2/1999 Cima et 211.
6,025,012 A 2/2000 Matsuda et a1.
75 _ . . - 6,026,748 A * 2/2000 Reed et a1. ............. .. 101/4241
( ) Inventor. Kla Sllverbrook, Balmain (AU) 6,165,406 A 120000 Jang et a1‘
(73) Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd, E221‘: et al'
Balmam, New S°mhWa1eS(AU) 6,641,243 B2 11/2003 Anderson et a1.
6,658,314 B1 12/2003 G th 't
( * ) Notice: Subject' to any disclaimer, the term ofthis 6,994,412 B2 200% WZStSjJ-k et a1‘
patent 1s extended or adjusted under 35 6,997,698 B2 2/2006 Silverbrook
U.S.C. 154(b) by 306 days. 7,077,502 B2 7/2006 Mitsuzawa
7,373,214 B2 5/2008 Silverbrook
This patent is subject to a terminal dis- 2002/0067382 A1 6/2002 Vega et a1.
C1aimer_ 2005/0263932 A1 12/2005 Heugel
(21) App1_ NO; 11/775,160 FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
. DE 10014682 Al 9/2001
(22) Filed: Jul. 9, 2007 GB 2360978 A 10/2001
JP 54036386 3/1979
(65) PI‘IOI‘ Publication Data JP 02439216 A 5/1991
US 2007/0252871 A1 Nov. 1, 2007 _ _
* cited by examiner
Related US‘ Application Data Primary ExamineriMaria Veronica D EWald
(63) Continuation of application No. 10/542,454, ?led as
application No. PCT/AU2004/000023 on Jan. 9, 2004, (57) ABSTRACT
noW Pat. No. 7,249,942.
A printer system is provided for developing a three dimen
(30) Foreign Application Priority Data sional (3D) printed structure. The system includes a plurality
Jan 1 6 2003 (AU) 2003900180 ofspaced apart sets ofprinting devices. A conveyor system is
' ’ """""""""""""" " arranged to serially convey a print medium operatively With
(51) Int_ CL respect to each set so that printed voxels from each successive
3283 1/16 (200601) set can form successive layers of the 3D printed structure
(52) U 5 Cl 425/375 264/113_ 264/308 upon the print medium. A placement mechanism is con?g
' ' ' """"""""""" " ’ 347/47’_ 347/102’ ured to place an object upon layers ofthe 3D printed structure.
58 F, M f Cl ,? t, s h ’425B75 The placement mechanism includes a translation mechanism
( ) 1e 0 425511;: ‘1911343742 14/1 13 308’ con?gured to translate the object at substantially the same
See a lication ?le‘ f’or Com l’ete séarcil histo ’ velocity as the conveyance ofthe print medium during place
pp p 1y‘ ment ofthe object. A plurality ofcuring mechanisms is inter
(56) References Cited leaved betWeen the sets ofprinting devices and is con?gured
to cure the printed voxels.
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
5,017,417 A 5/1991 Miyazawa et a1. 10 Claims, 18 Drawing Sheets
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20. US 7,766,641 B2
1
THREE DIMENSIONAL (3D) PRINTER
SYSTEM WITH PLACEMENT AND CURING
MECHANISMS
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED
APPLICATION
This Application is a continuation ofUS. application Ser.
No. 10/542,454, ?led in Jul. 15, 2005, Which is a national
phase application (371) ofPCT/AU2004/00023, ?led on Jan.
9, 2004 all of Which are herein incorporated by reference.
CO-PENDING APPLICATIONS
Various methods, systems and apparatus relating to the
present invention are disclosed in the following co-pending
applications ?led by the applicant or assignee ofthe present
invention simultaneously With the present application:
PCT/AU2004/000024 PCT/AU2004/000026 PCT/AU2004/000034
he disclosures of these co-pending applications are incor
porated herein by cross-reference
FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to the creation ofobjects using digi
tal additive manufacturing and more particularly to creating
Working objects that may be electrically and/or mechanically
active.
BACKGROUND
Digital additive manufacturing is a process by Which an
object is de?ned three dimensionally by a series of volume
elements (hereinafter referred to as voxels). The object is then
produced by creating/laying doWn each voxel one at a time, in
roWs at a time, sWaths at a time or layers at a time.
There exists systems that use modi?ed inkjet type technol
ogy to ‘print’ material onto a substrate, so building the object.
HoWever, these systems typically utiliZe a single scanning
printhead and are only useful for producing non-Working
models.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
In the present invention We digitally de?ne objects as a
series ofvoxels andhave a production line that creates objects
by creating each voxel. The production line simultaneously
creates different portions of objects With each portion pro
duced by a separate subsystem. In the preferred embodiments
each portion is for different products and so the system builds
up multiple objects simultaneously. The ?nished objects may
be ofidentical or ofdifferent designs. The portions may be of
any shape that may be digitally described. Portions produced
by different subsystems may have different shapes.
In the preferred embodiments each and every voxel has the
same dimension. HoWever, a product may be de?ned by vox
els of more than one siZe.
The portions are preferably created or laid doWn onto one
or more substrates. In the preferred embodiments one or more
substrates are provided, each having a substantially planar
surface upon Which material is deposited. Each of the sur
faces preferably moves in it’s oWn plane past the subsystems
but does not otherWise move relative to the subsystems. Each
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substrate need not have a planar surface upon Which material
is deposited and the surface may be ofany shape desired. The
substrate may move past the subsystems at a constant velocity
along a path or may move in steps. The substrate may also be
caused to rotate about one or more axes, as it moves betWeen
subsystems, as it moves past subsystems, as it is stationary or
in combinations of these. In the preferred embodiments a
continuous substrate moves past the subsystems of the pro
duction line at a substantially constant velocity.
The portions of the object produced by successive sub
systems preferably lie on top of each other but could be
spaced apart from each other, positioned end on end, adjacent
to each other or in any other con?guration. As an example, a
substrate having a cylindrical surface may be caused to rotate
about its axis as it moves past a subsystem, so that material
deposited extends in a helix on the cylindrical surface.
The portions are preferably layers of the object and the
layers are preferably tWo dimensional, i.e. they lie in a ?at
plane. HoWever, the layers neednot be planar. The layers may
have a constant thickness. Layers having differing thickness
Within the one layer are Within the scope of the invention.
Similarly objects may be made With multiple layers that do
not have the same thickness characteristics.
In the preferred embodiments each layer is planar, is made
up of voxels of constant siZe and all layers have the same
dimensions. Alternate layers may be offset relative to each
other. Preferably alternate layers are offset by half a voxel in
one or both of tWo mutually orthogonal directions.
Because voids may be formed in the object, When We refer
to a ‘layer’ We mean a layer as de?ned, Which may include
voids, not a continuous layer ofmaterial or materials.
In preferred embodiments each layer is created by one or
more printheads. In the preferred embodiments the print
heads are arranged along a longitudinally extending produc
tion line and one or more substrates move past the printheads,
and apart from the ?rst layer, the printheads print onto a
previously printed layer ofmaterial(s). The printheads for all
layers operate simultaneously and so Whilst the ?rst printhead
is printing a ?rst layer ofa ?rst set ofone ormore products, the
second printhead is printing a second layer ofa second set of
one ormore products andthe third printhead is printing a third
layer ofa third set. Thus ifWe have a product 1000 layers high
We have 1000 different subsystems, one for each layer. These
1000 subsystems operate to simultaneously produce 1000
different layers of 1000 sets of products.
In the preferred embodiments the printheads extend across
the Width of the substrate and are capable of printing across
the full substrate Width simultaneously i.e. they do not scan or
raster When printing but are stationary. This enables a sub
strate to be moved past the printheads at a substantially con
stant speed, With the printheads printing roWs ofmaterial onto
the substrate. The substrate speed is matched to the roW Width
and printhead cycle time so that the substrate has moved the
Width of the roWs printed for each printhead cycle. Thus the
next roW or roWs printed by each printhead Will be printed
next to a previously printed roW or roWs. In the preferred
embodiments the printheads each print tWo roWs simulta
neously for increased substrate speed.
Whilst substrate Width printheads are preferred, scanning
type printheads may be utiliZed to simultaneously produce
multiple layers of objects.
The terms “printhead”, “print” and derivatives thereof are
to be understood to include any device or technique that
deposits or creates material on a surface in a controlled man
ner.
Each layer is printed by one or more printheads. We refer to
the printhead or printheads for a layer as a ‘layer group’. As