IP Library Granted Patent US 11,220,051
Granted Patent B2
US 11,220,051 · App. 15/762,399 · Granted Jan 11, 2022

Build plate assemblies for continuous liquid interphase printing having lighting panels and related methods, systems and devices

Inventors: Bob E. Feller (San Mateo, CA); Ariel M. Herrmann (San Francisco, CA); John R. Tumbleston (Menlo Park, CA); David Moore (San Carlos, CA); Gregory W. Dachs, II (San Mateo, CA)
Assignee: Carbon, Inc.
B29C64/245B29C64/124B29C64/129B29C64/135B29C64/393B33Y10/00B33Y30/00B33Y50/02
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,220,051
App. No.
15/762,399
Granted
Jan 11, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

A build plate assembly for a three-dimensional printer includes: a lighting panel having individually addressable pixels configured to selectively emit light and/or transmit light from illumination below the pixels to a top surface top surface of the lighting panel; a rigid, optically transparent, gas-impermeable planar screen or base having an upper surface having an uneven surface topology and a lower surface that is affixed to the top surface of the lighting panel; and a flexible, optically transparent, gas-permeable sheet having upper and lower surfaces, the upper surface comprising a build surface for forming a three-dimensional object, the sheet lower surface positioned opposite the base, wherein the build plate is configured to permit gas flow to the build surface.

Claims (29)

1. A build plate assembly for a three-dimensional printer comprising:

a lighting panel having individually addressable pixels configured to selectively emit light and/or transmit light from illumination below the pixels to a top surface of the lighting panel;

a rigid, optically transparent, gas-impermeable planar screen base having an upper surface and a lower surface that is affixed to the top surface of the lighting panel;

a flexible, optically transparent, gas-permeable sheet having upper and lower surfaces, the upper surface comprising a build surface for forming a three-dimensional object, the sheet lower surface positioned opposite the base, wherein the build plate is configured to permit gas flow to the build surface; and

an adhesive layer between the gas-permeable sheet and the gas-impermeable planar base, and a channel layer defining channels therein.

2. The build plate assembly of claim 1 , wherein the channel layer comprises a permeable material comprising a permeable polymer.

3. The build plate assembly of claim 1 , wherein the channel layer defines channels on a bottom surface opposite the adhesive.

4. The build plate assembly of claim 1 , wherein the channel layer is adhered to the base by chemical bonding.

5. The build plate assembly of claim 1 , wherein the adhesive layer comprises a gas-permeable adhesive.

6. The build plate assembly of claim 1 , wherein the adhesive layer comprises a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) film.

7. The build plate assembly of claim 1 , further comprising an elastomeric layer between the channel layer and the base configured to increase an elasticity of the build surface.

8. The build plate assembly of claim 7 , wherein the permeable sheet and/or channel layer comprises a PDMS composite comprising fluorescent, oxygen-sensing particles for sensing oxygen.

9. The build plate assembly of claim 7 , wherein the permeable sheet, elastomeric layer and/or channel layer comprises a PDMS composite comprising electrically conductive particles for heating a portion of the build plate.

10. The build plate assembly of claim 1 , wherein the lighting panel comprises a LCD panel.

11. The build plate assembly of claim 1 , wherein the lighting panel comprises an OLED panel.

12. The build plate assembly of claim 1 , wherein the lighting panel comprises an ultraviolet LED light source array.

13. The build plate assembly of claim 1 , wherein the lighting panel is a grey scale lighting panel.

14. The build plate assembly of claim 1 , further comprising light guides in the build plate that correspond to the individually addressable pixels of the lighting panel.

15. The build plate assembly of claim 1 , wherein the gas-permeable sheet includes a thickness, and the gap is less than or equal to five times the thickness of the sheet.

16. The build plate assembly of claim 1 , wherein a region between the planar base and the gas-permeable sheet comprises gap regions between the planar base and the gas-permeable sheet in which a gap that is sufficient to increase gas flow and reduce an area of wetting on the gas permeable sheet is maintained.

17. The build plate assembly of claim 1 , wherein the rigid, optically transparent, gas-impermeable planar base has an uneven surface topology on the upper surface thereof.

18. The build plate assembly of claim 17 , wherein the base comprises a top portion and a bottom portion, wherein the top portion comprises a patterned rigid polymer that provides the surface topology and the top portion is adhered to the bottom portion.

19. The build plate assembly of claim 18 , wherein the top portion comprises a first material and the bottom portion comprises a second material that is different from the first material.

20. The build plate assembly of claim 19 , wherein the second material comprises sapphire, glass and/or quartz.

21. The build plate assembly of claim 17 , wherein the surface topology comprises random or patterned features configured to maintain a predefined gap between the planar base and portions of the gas-permeable sheet.

22. The build plate assembly of claim 17 , wherein the surface topology comprises depressions or protrusions having a diameter of 1 to 10 μm.

23. The build plate assembly of claim 17 , wherein the surface topology increases gas flow to the build surface and is on the base upper surface.

24. The build plate assembly of claim 17 , wherein the surface topology increases gas flow to the build surface and is on the sheet lower surface.

25. The build plate assembly of claim 17 , wherein the surface topology has an optical scattering angle of less than 20%.

Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62232783 · Sep 25, 2015
Related Publication 20180264724A1 · Sep 20, 2018
Cited By (1)
US 12,409,603