Method for three-dimensional fabrication with feed-through carrier

1. A method of forming a three-dimensional object, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a carrier and a build plate, said build plate comprising a semipermeable member, said semipermeable member comprising a build surface with said build surface and said carrier defining a build region therebetween, and with said build surface in fluid communication by way of the semipermeable member with a source of polymerization inhibitor;

(b) filling said build region with a polymerizable liquid, said polymerizable liquid contacting said build surface;

(c) irradiating said build region through said build plate to produce a solid polymerized region in said build region, while forming or maintaining a liquid film release layer comprised of said polymerizable liquid formed between said solid polymerized region and said build surface, the polymerization of which liquid film is inhibited by said polymerization inhibitor; and

(d) advancing said carrier with said polymerized region adhered thereto away from said build surface on said build plate to create a subsequent build region between said polymerized region and said build surface;

(e) wherein said carrier has at least one channel formed therein, and said filling step is carried out by passing or forcing said polymerizable liquid into said build region through said at least one channel; and

(f) continuing and/or repeating steps (b) through (d) to produce a subsequent polymerized region adhered to a previous polymerized region until the continued or repeated deposition of polymerized regions adhered to one another forms said three-dimensional object, further comprising heating or cooling said polymerizable liquid.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said carrier has a plurality of channels formed therein, and wherein different polymerizable liquids are forced through different ones of said plurality of channels.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising concurrently forming at least one, or a plurality of, external feed conduits separate from said object, each of said at least one feed conduits in fluid communication with a channel in said carrier, to supply at least one, or a plurality of different, polymerizable liquids from said carrier to said build zone.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein steps (b) through (e) are carried out concurrently.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the build plate is substantially fixed or stationary.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the source of polymerization inhibitor is a reservoir of polymerization inhibitor within the semipermeable member.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the semipermeable member further comprises a feed surface separate from said build surface.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the feed surface is in fluid contact with a polymerization inhibitor so as to provide said source of polymerization inhibitor.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said advancing step or steps is/are carried out at a cumulative rate of at least 10 microns per second.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein excess polymerizable liquid is supplied to said build region, removed or drained therefrom to cool said build region, and then optionally recirculated back to said build region.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein said advancing step is carried out by advancing said carrier vertically from said build surface.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein: said semipermeable member comprises a top surface portion, a bottom surface portion, and an edge surface portion; said build surface is on said top surface portion; and said feed surface is on at least one of said top surface portion, said bottom surface portion, and said edge surface portion.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein said irradiating step is carried out with actinic radiation.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the total surface area of the build region occupies at least seventy percent of the total surface area of the build surface; and/or

wherein lateral movement of the carrier and object in any direction is not more than thirty percent of the width of said build region in the corresponding direction.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein (a) said polymerizable liquid comprises a free radical polymerizable liquid and said inhibitor comprises oxygen, or (b) said polymerizable liquid comprises an acid-catalyzed or cationically polymerizable liquid, and said inhibitor comprises a base.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein said polymerizable liquid further comprises an active agent, a detectable agent, solid particles, or a combination thereof.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein said irradiating step is carried out by maskless photolithography.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein step (c) is carried out by irradiating said build region with light.