IP Library › Granted Patent US 12691639
Granted Patent B1
US 12691639 · App. 18/130,086 · Granted Jul 28, 2026

Multi-material additive fabrication with different application-specific properties

Inventors: Wojciech Matusik (Lexington, MA); Gregory Ellson (Boston, MA); Shai Elisha Almagor (Brookline, MA); Liam Schwartz (Danbury, CT)
Assignee: Inkbit, LLC
B29C64/343B33Y10/00B33Y50/02B33Y80/00
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12691639
App. No.
18/130,086
Granted
Jul 28, 2026
Kind
B1
Abstract

An approach to multi-material additive fabrication incorporates application-specific surface and near-surface regions into a model used for control of fabrication, for example, using feedback controlled jetted fabrication.

Claims (46)

1 . A method additive fabrication comprising:

receiving a solid model of an object;

receiving a specification of a surface characteristic of at least some of the surface of the object, wherein the surface characteristic comprises a chemical resistance characteristic;

computing a modified model of the object, the modified model having a volume corresponding to the solid model and having a surface and near-surface region specified to be formed of a surface material and bulk regions specified to be formed from a bulk material; and

providing the modified model for additive fabrication of the object.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the modified model is computed during fabrication of the object.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein computing the modified model is performed incrementally during the fabrication of the object.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the modified model comprises a functional specification.

5 . A method additive fabrication comprising:

receiving a solid model of an object;

receiving a specification of a surface characteristic of at least some of the surface of the object;

computing a modified model of the object, the modified model having a volume corresponding to the solid model and having a surface and near-surface region specified to be formed of a surface material and bulk regions specified to be formed from a bulk material; and

providing the modified model for additive fabrication of the object;

wherein in the object comprises a fluid static mixer, and the surface of the object comprises an inner surface of the mixer to be in fluid contact during operational use of the mixer.

6 . A method for fabricating a multi-material object, the method comprising:

receiving a model of an object, the model specifying surface and near-surface coating regions to be fabricated using a surface material and specifying a bulk region to be fabricated using a bulk material; and

controlling jetted deposition of the surface material and the bulk material in a plurality of successive layers, at least some layers comprising both the surface material and the bulk material.

7 . An object fabricated by additive fabrication, a modified model for the object being determined by a method comprising:

receiving a solid model of an object;

receiving a specification of a surface characteristic of at least some of the surface of the object;

computing a modified model of the object, the modified model having a volume corresponding to the solid model and having a surface and near-surface region specified to be formed of a surface material and bulk regions specified to be formed from a bulk material; and

providing the modified model for additive fabrication of the object;

and the object being fabricated by a method comprising:

receiving the modified model of the object, the modified model specifying surface and near-surface coating regions to be fabricated using a surface material and specifying a bulk region to be fabricated using a bulk material; and

controlling jetted deposition of the surface material and the bulk material in a plurality of successive layers, at least some layers comprising both the surface material and the bulk material.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the object comprises a fluidic device having an inner surface that is in fluid contact during operational use, and wherein the chemical resistance characteristic is specified for the inner surface.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the bulk regions are specified in the modified model to provide pressure resistance sufficient to withstand a maximum operating pressure of a fluid flowing through the fluidic device.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the modified model includes a functional specification of the maximum operating pressure, and wherein the bulk regions are computed based at least in part on the specified maximum operating pressure.

11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the modified model specifies internal mechanical structures within the bulk regions to increase pressure resistance of the object.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the internal mechanical structures comprise internal truss structures, lattice structures, or foam-like structures fabricated within the bulk regions.

13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the internal mechanical structures comprise a spatial variation in material density within the bulk regions as a function of distance from the inner surface of the object.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the surface characteristic further comprises ultraviolet radiation resistance for an external surface of the object.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the modified model specifies an exterior surface and a near-surface region of the object to be formed of a UV-resistant surface material.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the modified model specifies different surface materials for an inner surface and for the external surface, the inner surface being specified to provide chemical resistance and the external surface being specified to provide UV resistance.

17 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the surface material is mechanically integrated with an adjacent bulk material by interface structures fabricated during additive fabrication of the object.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the modified model specifies the interface structures between the surface material and the bulk material.

19 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the interface structures comprise interlocking geometries that mechanically couple the surface material to the bulk material.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the interlocking geometries comprise non-planar or irregular boundaries between the surface material and the bulk material.

21 . The method of claim 17 , wherein at least some additive layers comprise both the surface material and the bulk material such that the surface material is mechanically interpenetrated with the bulk material during fabrication.

22 . A method of additive fabrication comprising:

receiving a solid model of an object;

receiving a specification of a surface characteristic of at least some of the surface of the object, wherein the surface characteristic comprises a heat resistance characteristic;

computing a modified model of the object, the modified model having a volume corresponding to the solid model and having a surface and near-surface region specified to be formed of a surface material and bulk regions specified to be formed from a bulk material; and

providing the modified model for additive fabrication of the object.

23 . The method of claim 22 , wherein the bulk material provides greater mechanical strength than the surface material, and wherein the surface material provides greater heat resistance than the bulk material.

24 . The method of claim 22 , wherein the object comprises a fluidic device having an inner surface that is in fluid contact during operational use, and wherein the bulk material provides pressure resistance to withstand pressure of the fluid.