High volume manufacturing method for precision articles based on three-dimensional printing
A three-dimensional printing system includes a print engine and a controller. The controller in turn includes a processor coupled to a non-transient memory. The non-transient memory stores software instructions that when executed by the processor cause the controller to operate the print engine to fabricate a body. The body includes a three-dimensional arrangement of 3D articles that are pairwise coupled together. An individual pair of the arrangement of 3D articles includes a first article and a second article. A curved body couples a first surface of the first article to the second article. The curved body intersects the first surface to define a closed intersection curve that bounds a break surface. Along the closed intersection curve a surface of the curved body subtends an acute angle with the first surface.
1. A method of manufacturing a plurality of 3D articles by an additive manufacturing system comprising:
receiving a solid model for an article;
defining a three-dimensional arrangement of a plurality of 3D articles individually based on the solid model that are pairwise coupled together, an individual pair of the arrangement of 3D articles includes a first article and a second article, a curved body couples a first surface of the first article to the second article, the curved body intersects the first surface to define a closed intersection curve that bounds a break surface, along the closed intersection curve a surface of the curved body subtends an acute angle with the first surface;
sending the defined arrangement of 3D articles to a print engine;
operating the print engine to fabricate the arrangement of 3D articles;
unloading the arrangement of 3D articles from the print engine;
loading the arrangement of 3D articles into an agitation apparatus; and
operating the agitation apparatus to separate the three-dimensional arrangement of the plurality of 3D articles into individual 3D articles.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the curved body is an ellipsoid.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the curved body is generally spherical and the closed and curved intersection is generally circular.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the curved body has a major axis, the major axis has a dimension in a range of 0.025 to 3 millimeters.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the curved body has a major axis, the major axis has a dimension in a range of 0.1 to 1 millimeter.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the acute angle is in a range of 10 to 40 degrees.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the arrangement of 3D articles includes at least 50 3D articles with at least 30 pairwise connections.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the three-dimensional arrangement of 3D articles define a plurality of pairwise couplings, the operation of the agitation apparatus breaks at least 95% of the pairwise couplings along the break surface.
9. A method of manufacturing a plurality of separated 3D articles by an additive manufacturing system comprising:
operating a print engine to fabricate an array of 3D articles that are pairwise coupled together with pairwise connections;
unloading the array of 3D articles from the print engine;
loading the array of 3D articles into an agitation apparatus; and
operating the agitation apparatus to separate the array of 3D articles into the plurality of separated 3D articles by breaking the pairwise connections.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein the array of 3D articles includes at least 50 3D articles with at least 30 pairwise connections.
11. The method of claim 9 wherein operation of the agitation apparatus breaks at least 95% of the pairwise couplings.