Three-dimensional object printing system

1. A printing system for creating a three-dimensional object, the printing system including:

a plurality of printheads including a first printhead configured to print a first material and a second printhead configured to print a second material;

one or more curing mechanisms for curing the printed materials;

at least one object incorporation device configured to incorporate a non-printed object into the three-dimensional object when the three-dimensional object is partially complete; and

wherein at least one printhead is configured to print one or more electrical connections to the incorporated object;

wherein the system executes a process, the system including a plurality of subsystems, each of the subsystems being configured to perform one of a first subset of N 1 of the stages of the process, where N 1 is greater than 1, and to change the stage of the subset being performed on receipt of a change instruction;

wherein, in the event that one of the subsystems fails, at least one of the remaining subsystems synchronously changes to performing the respective stage of the failed subsystem without requiring transfer of data relating the respective stage to said at least one remaining subsystems, and when a subsystem changes to performing a different stage, the system reconfigures the subsystem to be capable of performing a second subset N 2 of the stages where N 1 and N 2 have the same number of stages.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first material is cured by a first method and the second material is cured by a second method and wherein the first and second methods are different.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the first and second methods include at least one method selected from a group including: evaporative drying; freezing of material ejected when molten; ultra violet curing; addition of a curing agent.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the first and second methods includes printing of a curing agent simultaneously or sequentially with the respective material.

5. The system of claim 2 , wherein the first and second methods includes printing of a curing agent selected from a group including: a catalyst; a polymerization initiator; a compound that reacts with the respective material.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the system prints the three-dimensional object layer by layer.

7. The system according to claim 6 , wherein the system prints at least some of the layers simultaneously.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the system prints each of layers simultaneously.

9. A system as claimed in claim 6 , wherein each layer is defined by a plurality of voxels arranged in a regular array and wherein the voxels of each layer are printed so as to be offset by half a voxel relative to the voxels of adjacent layers in a first direction, a second direction perpendicular to the first direction or both the first and second directions.

10. A system as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the printheads are configured to enable printing of at least two different materials in at least one layer.

11. A system as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the printheads are configured such that at least one of the layers may be printed with a first set of materials and at least one other of the layers may be printed with a second set of materials, and

wherein the first and second sets are not the same.

12. A system as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the system is configured to enable at least one first printhead that is initially configured to print at least part of a first layer to be dynamically reconfigured to print at least part of a second layer.

13. A system as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the system is configured to enable at least one first printhead that is initially configured to print at least part of a first layer to be dynamically reconfigured to print at least part of a second layer, and

wherein if at least one printhead initially configured to print the second layer fails whilst printing said second layer, said at least one first printhead is dynamically reconfigured to complete the printing of at least part of said second layer.

14. A system as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the system includes semiconductor memory and

wherein data defining at least one layer is stored in the semiconductor memory.

15. A system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one object incorporation device is configured to incorporate inorganic semiconductors into the three-dimensional product being printed whilst the at least one printhead prints the product.

16. A system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the system includes a conveyor for moving the three-dimensional object during creation, wherein the object incorporation device moves according the movement of the three-dimensional object on the conveyor.

17. A system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one object incorporation device is configured to insert at least one non-printed object into at least one cavity created during the printing process, wherein the at least one object incorporation device is configured to incorporate the at least one non-printed object into the at least one cavity during the printing of the respective printed object.

18. A system as claimed in claim 1 , including a least two printheads, wherein a first printhead is actively maintained at a first temperature and a second printhead is actively maintained at a second temperature.

19. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the printheads are sequentially positioned, wherein each of the curing mechanisms is configured to perform a different curing method on associated ones of the printed materials, and wherein the printing materials that are cured by the same curing method are grouped with the associated curing mechanism.