Granted Patent B2

US 12,290,979 · App. 17/689,852 · Granted May 6, 2025

Inventors: Mehdi Mojdeh (Fremont, CA); Michael Christopher Cole (San Jose, CA); Peter Dorfinger (Woodside, CA); Shiva P. Sambu (Milpitas, CA)

Assignee: Align Technology, Inc.

B29C64/118B29C64/188B29C64/209B29C64/232B29C64/245B29C64/264B29C64/295B29C64/307B33Y10/00B33Y30/00B33Y40/00B33Y80/00

Abstract

Claims (60)

1. A method comprising:

heating a material;

extruding the material from a nozzle to form a first layer of extruded material according to one or more digital files, wherein the first layer of extruded material has a first shape specified by the one or more digital files, and wherein the first shape corresponds to a first minimum line width based on a diameter of the nozzle; and

directing a light beam onto the first layer of extruded material according to the one or more digital files to cure a portion of the first layer of extruded material to create a first cured layer of the material, wherein the first cured layer of the material corresponds to a second shape of a first layer of three-dimensionally (3D) printed object specified by the one or more digital files, wherein the light beam has a beam diameter that is smaller than the diameter of the nozzle, and wherein the second shape has a second minimum line width that is smaller than the first minimum line width.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

extruding the material from the nozzle to form a second layer of extruded material over the first layer of extruded material according to the one or more digital files, wherein the second layer of extruded material has a third shape specified by the one or more digital files; and

directing the light beam onto the second layer of extruded material according to the one or more digital files to cure a portion of the second layer of extruded material to create a second cured layer of the material, wherein the second cured layer of material corresponds to a fourth shape of a second layer of the 3D printed object.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the light beam penetrates the second layer of extruded material and at least a portion of the first layer of extruded material to bond the second cured layer of the material to the first cured layer of the material.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:

heating the first layer of extruded material and the second layer of extruded material; and

removing uncured portions of the first layer of extruded material and the second layer of extruded material to separate the uncured portions from the first cured layer of material and the second cured layer of material.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first layer of extruded material is an intermediate layer of the extruded material, the method further comprising:

heating the first layer of extruded material; and

removing uncured portions of the first layer of extruded material to separate the uncured portions of the first layer from the first cured layer of material.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

repositioning at least one of the nozzle or a supporting platform while extruding the material to form the first shape; and

repositioning at least one of the light beam or the supporting platform after at least a portion of the first layer has been extruded to form the second shape within the first shape.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the light beam is an ultraviolet (UV) light beam, the method further comprising:

generating the light beam using at least one of a UV laser or a UV digital light processing (OLP) projector.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the material is a photo-curable material that has a first viscosity of less than 2 Pascal-seconds (Pa-s) while it is heated to a temperature of about 60-130 degrees Celsius (° C.) and a second viscosity of greater than 10 Pa-s at room temperature.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first minimum line width is about 100-800 microns and the second minimum line width is about 20-200 microns.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the three-dimensionally (3D) printed object is one or more of a dental appliance, an orthodontic aligner, a mold used to form an orthodontic aligner, a dental attachment placement template, and an incremental palatal expander.

11. A method comprising:

dispensing a first layer of a first material to form a first layer of a wall of a vat to three-dimensionally (3D) print an object;

extruding one or more photo-curable second materials from a nozzle to form a first layer of one or more extruded photo-curable materials within the first layer of the wall of the vat;

directing a light beam onto a first portion of the first layer of one or more extruded photo-curable materials, the first portion having a first spatial arrangement specified in one or more digital files, the first spatial arrangement corresponding to a first layer of the object, thereby selectively curing the first portion of the first layer of one or more extruded photo-curable materials but not a second portion of the first layer of the one or more extruded photo-curable materials; and

removing the second portion of the first layer of one or more extruded photo-curable materials to form the first layer of the object.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

dispensing a second layer of the first material to form a second layer of the wall of the vat;

extruding the one or more photo-curable second materials from a nozzle to form a second layer of one or more extruded photo-curable materials within the second layer of the wall of the vat;

directing the light beam onto a first portion of the second layer of one or more extruded photo-curable materials, the first portion having a second spatial arrangement specified in one or more digital files, the second spatial arrangement corresponding to a second layer of the object, thereby selectively curing the first portion of the second layer of one or more extruded photo-curable materials but not a second portion of the second layer of the one or more extruded photo-curable materials; and

removing the second portion of the second layer of one or more extruded photo-curable materials to form the second layer of the object.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein:

the one or more photo-curable second materials comprises a plurality of photo-curable materials; and the first portion of the first layer of the one or more extruded photo-curable materials comprises a

composite material made of the plurality of photo-curable materials.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the object comprises a dental appliance.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the object comprises at least one of a removable orthodontic aligner, an incremental palatal expander, a mold used to form a dental appliance, or a dental attachment formation template.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the one or more photo-curable second materials have a first viscosity of less than 2 Pascal-seconds (Pa-s) while it is heated to a temperature of about 60-130 degrees Celsius (° C.) and a second viscosity of greater than 10 Pa-sat room temperature.

17. The method of claim 11 , further comprising heating the one or more photo-curable second materials before extruding the one or more photo-curable second materials.

18. The method of claim 11 , further comprising heating the first material before extruding the one or more photo-curable second materials.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first spatial arrangement corresponds to a beam diameter of the light beam, the first layer of one or more extruded photo-curable materials has a line width based on a nozzle diameter of the nozzle, and the beam diameter is smaller than the nozzle diameter.

20. A method comprising:

dispensing a first layer of a first material to form a first layer of a wall of a vat to three-dimensionally (3D) print an object;

extruding one or more photo-curable second materials from a nozzle to form a first layer of one or more extruded photo-curable materials within the first layer of the wall of the vat;

causing a first curing reaction to occur to a first portion of the first layer of one or more extruded photo curable materials, the first portion having a first spatial arrangement specified in one or more digital files, the first spatial arrangement corresponding to a first layer of the object, thereby selectively curing the first portion of the first layer of one or more extruded photo-curable materials but not a second portion of the first layer of the one or more extruded photo-curable materials; and

removing the second portion of the first layer of one or more extruded photo-curable materials to form the first layer of the object.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein:

the one or more photo-curable second materials comprises a plurality of photo-curable materials; and the first portion of the first layer of the one or more extruded photo-curable materials comprises a composite material made of the plurality of photo-curable materials.

22. The method of claim 20 , wherein the first spatial arrangement corresponds to a width associated with the first curing reaction, the first layer of one or more extruded photo-curable materials has a line width based on a nozzle diameter of the nozzle, and the width associated with the first curing reaction is smaller than the nozzle diameter.

23. The method of claim 20 , wherein the object comprises a dental appliance.

24. The method of claim 20 , wherein the object comprises at least one of a removable orthodontic aligner, an incremental palatal expander, a mold used to form a dental appliance, or a dental attachment formation template.

25. The method of claim 20 , wherein the one or more photo-curable second materials have a first viscosity of less than 2 Pascal-seconds (Pa-s (while it is heated to a temperature of about 60-130 degrees Celsius (C) and a second viscosity of greater than 10 Pa-sat room temperature.

26. The method of claim 20 , further comprising heating the one or more photo-curable second materials before extruding the one or more photo-curable second materials.

27. The method of claim 20 , further comprising heating the first material before extruding the one or more photo-curable second materials.

28. The method of claim 20 , further comprising:

dispensing a second layer of the first material to form a second layer of the wall of the vat;

extruding the one or more photo-curable second materials from a nozzle to form a second layer of one or more extruded photo-curable materials within the second layer of the wall of the vat;

causing a second curing reaction to occur to a first portion of the second layer of one or more extruded photo-curable materials, the first portion having a second spatial arrangement specified in one or more digital files, the second spatial arrangement corresponding to a second layer of the object, thereby selectively curing

the first portion of the second layer of one or more extruded photo-curable materials but not a second portion of the second layer of the one or more extruded photo-curable materials; and

removing the second portion of the second layer of one or more extruded photo-curable materials to form the second layer of the object.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (3)

References Cited (176)