3D printing using rotational components and improved light sources
Methods, devices, and systems for efficient 3D printing are set forth. Some embodiments utilize a circular-shaped build area revolving symmetrically around a single center point utilizing a semi-continuous or continuous helical printing process. Polymerizable build material is fed in a controlled manner to a build region where it is irradiated to cause solidification of the build material so as to provide a polymerization gradient zone comprising liquid polymerizable material, partially cured polymerizable material and fully cured polymerized material. Polymerization inhibitors can be provided to retard polymerization in selected regions of the build. The method can also include delivery of supporting materials to aid in maintaining the 3D structure during the build process.
1 . A method of forming a three-dimensional object, comprising:
providing
a build platform,
an optically transparent rigid member,
a transparent low adhesion substrate having a construction surface, and
a build region between said build platform and said construction surface;
filling at least a portion of said build region with a flowable, solidifiable build material;
irradiating said build region through said optically transparent rigid member and low adhesion substrate to solidify said build material while advancing said build platform away from said construction surface to form said three-dimensional object from said build material, wherein said build platform and said construction surface have a substantially perpendicular central axis, said build platform and said construction surface rotating about said central axis.
2 . A method of forming a three-dimensional object, comprising:
providing a build platform being spaced apart from a construction area, the construction area having
an optically transparent rigid member,
a transparent substrate having a construction surface,
and one or more material movers positioned to deliver and/or spread one or more flowable build materials in one or more channels formed in or on the transparent substrate, and
a build region between said build platform and said construction surface;
filling at least a portion of said build region with the one or more build materials;
irradiating said build region through said optically transparent rigid member and at least a portion of the transparent substrate to solidify the one or more build materials while continuously or semicontinuously rotating said build platform and said transparent substrate having the construction surface to advance the one or more build materials across said optically transparent rigid member through an exposure zone while also continuously or semicontinuously advancing said build platform away from said construction surface to form said three-dimensional object from said solidified one or more build materials on said build platform,
wherein said build platform and said construction surface together define a substantially perpendicular central axis, said build platform and said transparent substrate having the construction surface rotating about said central axis.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein said one or more channels of said construction surface is a plurality of channels formed therein, and wherein the same or different one or more build materials are passed or forced through different ones of said plurality of channels.
4 . A method of forming a three-dimensional object, comprising:
providing
a build platform;
a construction area having
(i) one or more cure zones along an optically transparent rigid member; and
(ii) a transparent substrate having a construction surface with at least one material channel formed therein;
one or more material movers selected from the group consisting of at least one material dispenser and at least one material spreader for delivering at least one flowable, solidifiable build material about said at least one material channel; and
a build region between said build platform and said construction surface;
feeding said at least one flowable build material to at least a portion of said build region;
irradiating said build region with one or more solidification mechanisms through the construction area and said transparent substrate to solidify the at least one flowable build material within an exposure zone;
continuously or semicontinuously rotating said rigid member and said one or more material movers relative to said build platform and said transparent substrate having a build construction surface, while concurrently or semi-concurrently advancing said build platform away from said construction surface of the transparent substrate to form said three-dimensional object from said solidified build material on said build platform,
wherein said build platform and said construction area together defining a substantially perpendicular central axis, and both of, said one or more material movers and said transparent rigid member rotating around or about said central axis.
5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein said central axis is stationary.
6 . The method of claim 4 , wherein said central axis moves within the construction area.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein advancing said build platform to form subsequent layers to occurs during the formation of a previous formed layer.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein advancing said build platform to form subsequent layers occurs after the formation of a previously formed layer.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a subsequent layer is formed after multiple rotations around the central axis.
10 . The method of claim 1 , where a layer is formed in less than one complete rotation around the central axis.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the flowable, solidifiable build material is a polymerizable liquid, a composite, or a paste.
12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said construction surface has at least one channel formed on or therein such that filling at least a portion of said build region is carried out by passing or forcing said build material into said build region through or along said at least one channel.
13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein during rotation of build platform and said construction surface of said transparent substrate, the transparent rigid member is non-rotating.
14 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising a primary material mover and a secondary material mover for filling at least a portion of said build region, wherein the at least one build material includes a flowable solidifiable build material dispensed by said primary material mover and a secondary flowable material dispensed by said secondary material mover.
15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the secondary flowable material comprises one or more of:
(i) additives,
(ii) coloring agents, or
(iii) a release agent configured to affect the solidification of the flowable build material, wherein the release material, when dispensed onto at least a portion of the construction surface of the transparent substrate, forms a release layer effective to prevent or retard solidification bonding of a subsequent layer of the flowable solidifiable build material to that portion of the construction surface.
16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the secondary flowable material is dispensed in a controlled manner onto or into the flowable build material to selectively induce solidification of the flowable build material.
17 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the second material dispenser is configured to dispense the secondary flowable material onto or into the flowable build material so as to prevent or retard solidification of the flowable build material.
18 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the secondary material dispenser is configured to dispense onto or into the flowable build material the secondary flowable material, said secondary flowable material functioning to increase or decrease the capability of the flowable build material to solidify in the presence of a solidifying medium.
19 . The method of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the material dispensers provide controlled delivery of a secondary material, said secondary material comprising a material delivered onto or into the solidifiable materials to support the solidifiable material for subsequent processing thereof.
20 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the continuous or semicontinuous rotation of said transparent substrate about and/or across said transparent rigid member separates the solidified one or more build materials along said one or more channels formed in the construction surface of the transparent substrate while being retained on the build platform or previously solidified material.
21 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the one or more channels is a plurality of channels formed on or therein said construction surface, and wherein the one or more build materials is a plurality of build materials such a first flowable solidifiable build material is passed through or forced dispensed into a first channel and a second flowable solidifiable build material that is different from the first build material is passed through or forced dispensed into a second channel.
22 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the one or more material movers is selected from the group consisting of at least one material dispenser and at least one material spreader.
23 . The method of claim 22 , wherein the one or more material movers is at least one material dispenser and at least one material spreader, the at least one material dispenser and the at least one material spreader positioned to deliver the build material about the construction surface of the transparent substrate along the one or more channels.
24 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the rotation of the transparent substrate having said construction surface creates a feed mechanism for advancing said flowable build materials across the construction surface, which is adjacent to the transparent rigid member through the exposure zone.
25 . The method of claim 2 , wherein during rotation of build platform and said construction surface of said transparent substrate, the transparent rigid member and the one or more movers are non-rotating.
26 . The method of claim 2 , wherein said construction area has a plurality of cure zones that include the transparent rigid member and the one or more material movers that form a plurality of channels along the construction surface of the transparent substrate.
27 . The method of claim 26 , further comprising one or more solidification mechanisms for filling the at least a portion of said build region, wherein the one or more solidification mechanisms is attached to or incorporated with the plurality of cure zones, and rotates with said construction surface of said transparent substrate.
28 . The method of claim 27 , wherein at least one portion of the construction area between the transparent rigid member is not transparent and blocks radiation from said one or more solidification mechanisms.
29 . The method of claim 2 , wherein a first material mover of the one or more material movers deposits a first build material of the one or more build materials, wherein a second material mover of the one or more material movers deposits a second build material of the one or more build materials, and wherein the first build material retards adherence of the second build material that is a flowable, solidifiable build material across said construction surface.
30 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the build platform is configured to rotate multiple 360° turns in relation to the construction area and/or one or more material movers.
31 . The method of claim 2 , wherein a defined distance between the build platform and the one or more material movers is alternatively increased during or after rotation in a stepwise manner during or after one or more layers of the solidified build material are formed.
32 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the one or more material movers includes both said at least one material dispenser and said at least one material spreader.
33 . The method of claim 4 , wherein said one or more material movers and said transparent rigid member both rotate around said central axis.
34 . The method of claim 4 , wherein said construction surface of said transparent substrate includes at least one channel formed thereon or therein such that feeding at least a portion of said build region is carried out by moving said at least one flowable, solidifiable build material into said build region through or along said at least one channel.
35 . The method of claim 4 , wherein said flowable build material is a flowable polymerizable liquid.
36 . The method of claim 4 , wherein and that rotation said transparent rigid member and said one or more material movers creates a feed mechanism for advancing said flowable build materials across the construction surface of the transparent substate.
37 . The method of claim 36 , wherein during rotation of said transparent rigid member and said one or more material movers, the build platform and construction surface of the transparent substrate are non-rotating.
38 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the one or more of the material movers includes a secondary mover that provides controlled delivery of a secondary material of the one or more build materials, said secondary material being delivered by a primary mover of the or more movers onto or into a solidifiable material of the one or more build materials to prevent solidification thereof.
39 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the one or more material movers and/or the material solidification mechanism are configured to rotate in relation to the construction area and/or the build platform.
40 . The method of claim 4 , wherein a second material mover of the one or more material movers provide controlled delivery of a secondary material of the one or more build material, said secondary material comprising additives, binding agents, pigments, dyes, or coloring agents to a solidifiable material of the one or more build materials prior to solidification.
41 . The method of claim 4 , wherein a second material mover of the one or more material movers selectively dispenses on or into a dispensed flowable, solidifiable material of the one or more build materials, a secondary material of the one or more build materials to reduce or prevent the solidification of said dispensed flowable, solidifiable material.
42 . The method of claim 4 , wherein a second material mover of the one or more material movers selectively dispenses on or into a dispensed flowable, solidifiable material of the one or more build materials a secondary material of the one or more build materials being provided by a primary material mover of the one or more material movers to induce or increase the solidification rate of said dispensed flowable, solidifiable material.