ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING YIELD IMPROVEMENT
An additive manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a product. The apparatus includes a container, a build platform with a build surface, and a radiation source for providing hardening radiation to selectively expose and solidify radiation-curable liquid in the container. An electronic controller is configured to read a first product definition file defining the product and to control at least an intensity of the hardening radiation and motion of the build platform in accordance with the product definition file to cause the manufacturing of the product. The apparatus is configured to manufacture a first fiducial marker in rigid connection with the build surface during the manufacturing process. A corresponding method is also provided.
1 . An additive manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a product comprising:
a container for holding a radiation-curable liquid,
a build platform having a build surface for holding a product to be manufactured during a manufacturing process, the build platform being movable relative to the container in a predetermined direction,
a radiation source for providing hardening radiation to selectively expose and solidify radiation-curable liquid in the container to form the product,
an electronic controller configured to read a first product definition file defining the product and to control at least an intensity of the hardening radiation and motion of the build platform in accordance with the product definition file to cause the manufacturing of the product,
characterized in that the apparatus is configured to manufacture a first fiducial marker in rigid connection with the build surface during the manufacturing process.
2 . An additive manufacturing apparatus in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the first fiducial marker is a three-dimensional fiducial marker.
3 . An additive manufacturing apparatus in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the product definition file includes a first fiducial marker definition defining the first fiducial marker.
4 . An additive manufacturing apparatus in accordance with claim 3 , wherein the first fiducial marker is defined by a corresponding first fiducial marker definition, and the electronic controller is configured to produce a modified product definition file by combining the first fiducial marker definition file with the first product definition file, and the electronic controller is furthermore configured to control at least an intensity of the hardening radiation and motion of the build platform in accordance with the modified product definition file.
5 . An additive manufacturing apparatus in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the first fiducial marker, or the first fiducial marker together with one or more further fiducial markers, if present, are configured to enable a determination of at least one of: a set of one or more positions of one or more of the fiducial markers; an orientation of the product as manufactured; a set of one or more lengths or sizes or shapes or surface contours along one or more dimensions of at least one of the fiducial markers or at least one of the products as manufactured; at least a first relative distance between at least a first given fiducial reference point and at least a first given product reference point in a first given plane,
the determination being enabled for at least one of:
a robotic measuring device configured to perform said determination by mechanically and physically identifying a position or one or more lengths or sizes or shapes or surface contours along one or more dimensions of the first fiducial marker or identifying a position or positions or one or more lengths or sizes or shapes or surface contours along one or more dimensions of the one or more of the further fiducial markers, if present or identifying a position or positions or one or more lengths or sizes or shapes or surface contours along one or more dimensions of one or more of the products as manufactured, or identifying at least a first relative distance between at least a first given fiducial reference point and at least a first given product reference point in a first given plane; and
an electronic imaging system configured to perform said determination by recording and analyzing one or more images of at least the first fiducial marker from one or more angles.
6 . An additive manufacturing apparatus in accordance with claim 5 , wherein the electronic controller is configured to adjust the manufacturing process to at least partly counteract a difference between 1) one or more results of said determination, and 2) one or more corresponding target physical dimensions or target orientations derivable from the first product definition file or from the modified product definition file.
7 . An additive manufacturing apparatus in accordance with claim 6 , wherein the adjusting is performed if said difference exceeds a tolerance parameter accessible to the electronic controller.
8 . An additive manufacturing apparatus in accordance with claim 5 , wherein the determination is carried out one or more times after manufacture of the product or after carrying out one or more subsequent post-processing steps.
9 . An additive manufacturing apparatus in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the first fiducial marker together with one or more further fiducial markers, if present, are printed on a printed plate where the first fiducial marker together with one or more further fiducial markers, if present, are configured to allow stacking of the printed plate with other printed plates.
10 . A method for additive manufacturing of a product, comprising:
manufacturing the product in an additive manufacturing process performed by an additive manufacturing apparatus, the product being formed on a build surface of the additive manufacturing apparatus,
characterized in that the method further comprises a step of manufacturing, during the manufacturing process, one or more fiducial markers in rigid connection with the build surface.
11 . A method in accordance with claim 10 , wherein the first fiducial marker is a three-dimensional fiducial marker.
12 . A method in accordance with claim 10 , further comprising:
providing a modified product definition file by combining a first product definition file defining the product with a fiducial marker definition file defining the one or more fiducial markers.
13 . A method in accordance with claim 10 , comprising manufacturing 2, 3, 4 or more fiducial markers configured to allow a stacking of a plurality of products manufactured during corresponding 2, 3, 4 or more manufacturing processes.
14 . A method in accordance with claim 10 , further comprising:
measuring
one or more fiducial marker sizes or lengths or shapes or surface contours along one or more dimensions or positions or orientations, or
one or more product sizes or lengths or shapes or surface contours along one or more dimensions or positions or orientations, or
one or more relative distances between one or more fiducial markers and one or more products as manufactured, and
determining whether one or more of the measured sizes or lengths or shapes or surface contours or positions or orientations or relative distances are compliant or not according to one or more tolerance criteria, and
the electronic controller adjusting the manufacturing process to fulfill the one or more tolerance criteria during a subsequent manufacturing process if determined not be in compliance.