Layer manufacturing using focused chemical vapor deposition

摘要

A solid freeform fabrication process and apparatus for making a three-dimensional object. The process includes the steps of (1) positioning a material deposition sub-system a selected distance from a target surface, (2) operating this sub-system to deposit materials onto the target surface by carrying out the sub-steps of (a) operating a multiple-channel fluid phase delivery device of the deposition sub-system for supplying multiple fluid compositions to a small region proximate the target surface and (b) operating a focused energy source to produce a phase change zone at this region, thereby inducing deposition of materials onto the target surface, and (3) during the material deposition process, moving the deposition sub-system and the target surface relative to one another in a plane defined by first and second directions and in a third direction orthogonal to this plane to form deposition materials into a three dimensional shape. These steps are preferably executed under the control of a computer system. Preferably, the system is also operated to generate a support structure for any unsupported feature of the object.