THREE DIMENSIONAL (3D) PRINTING BY VOLUMETRIC ADDITION THROUGH SELECTIVE CURING OF A FLUID MATRIX

摘要

An apparatus for building a three dimensional (3D) object using volumetric addition. The apparatus includes a print chamber containing a volume of a curable resin. The apparatus includes a first and second curing energy sources outputting first and second beams of energy. The apparatus includes a controller operating targeting mechanisms to align the beams of energy to sequentially intersect at a plurality of curing positions associated with build volumes of a digital model of the 3D object. The energy sources may be lasers generating a desired amount of heat when their beams are crossed. The curable resin may be a heat-curable fluid curing when heated into a curing temperature range, and the amount of heat provided by intersected pairs of the first and second beams heats volumes of the heat-curable fluid, proximate to each of the curing positions only, to a temperature in the curing temperature range.

主权项

1. An apparatus for building a three dimensional (3D) object using volumetric addition, comprising:
a print chamber adapted for containing a volume of a liquid; a curable resin positioned in the print chamber; a first curing energy source outputting a first beam of energy; a second curing energy source outputting a second beam of energy; and a controller operating one or more targeting mechanisms to align the first and second beams of energy to sequentially intersect at a plurality of curing positions associated with build volumes of a digital model of the 3D object.