Forming three dimensional objects through bulk heating of layers with differential material properties

摘要

The technical disclosures of this invention are comprised of (1) a process for manufacturing parts, (2) techniques used for material distribution in this process, and (3) techniques used for consolidation of material in this process. The manufacturing process is an embodiment of layered freeform fabrication of parts of arbitrary geometry based on the use of bulk consolidation operations as opposed to previous methods which selectively consolidate regions of a layer at a time. In order to select which areas are consolidated, variations of material properties are created before consolidation. Two techniques are presented for creating these variations: a technique using an additive to change material properties and a technique using multiple materials distributed in an arbitrary pattern to form a layer. When an additive is used, a single material is deposited to form a layer and additive is selectively applied with an inkjet-style print head. When multiple materials are used, the materials must be selectively applied to form a layer. This is accomplished with one of two techniques: an vibrating membrane whose forced vibrational modes distribute powder in the intended pattern or a series of flexible gated compartments that change shape as powder is being deposited.