TECHNIQUES FOR THERMAL MANAGEMENT IN ADDITIVE FABRICATION AND RELATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS

    公开(公告)号:US20210107063A1

    公开(公告)日:2021-04-15

    申请号:US17022401

    申请日:2020-09-16

    申请人: Formlabs, Inc.

    摘要: According to some aspects, degradation of material in a sintering additive fabrication process may be mitigated or avoided by fabricating parts within a chamber that includes one or more thermal breaks. The thermal break may be implemented using a variety of structures, but generally allows material in the chamber close to the surface to be maintained at different temperatures than the material further from the surface. For instance, as a result of the thermal break, parts located within the material of the chamber that were formed earlier during fabrication may be kept cooler to avoid damage to the parts yet the upper surface (sometimes called the “build surface”) of unconsolidated material may be heated enough so as to require minimal additional energy exposure to trigger consolidation.

    Building material enclosure comprising a thermal break

    公开(公告)号:US12053926B2

    公开(公告)日:2024-08-06

    申请号:US18366631

    申请日:2023-08-07

    申请人: Formlabs, Inc.

    摘要: According to some aspects, degradation of material in a sintering additive fabrication process may be mitigated or avoided by fabricating parts within a chamber that includes one or more thermal breaks. The thermal break may be implemented using a variety of structures, but generally allows material in the chamber close to the surface to be maintained at different temperatures than the material further from the surface. For instance, as a result of the thermal break, parts located within the material of the chamber that were formed earlier during fabrication may be kept cooler to avoid damage to the parts yet the upper surface (sometimes called the “build surface”) of unconsolidated material may be heated enough so as to require minimal additional energy exposure to trigger consolidation.

    TECHNIQUES FOR PRODUCING THERMAL SUPPORT STRUCTURES IN ADDITIVE FABRICATION AND RELATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS

    公开(公告)号:US20210339477A1

    公开(公告)日:2021-11-04

    申请号:US16865276

    申请日:2020-05-01

    申请人: Formlabs, Inc.

    摘要: Techniques for designing and fabricating thermal support regions via additive fabrication are described. Defects produced as a result of temperature differentials within an additive fabrication device that forms parts by sintering particles of material may be mitigated or avoided by directing energy to regions around a part that is sufficient to heat the material and cause it to partially sinter, but not enough to fully sinter the material. The mechanical properties of such a thermal support region may resist the effects caused by temperature gradients. In addition, or alternatively, the heating of the thermal support region material may reduce heat lost by nearby sintered material. In either or both cases, the thermal support region acts as a kind of ‘volumetric armor’ that surrounds some or all of the part and protects the part from defects.

    TECHNIQUES FOR PRODUCING THERMAL SUPPORT STRUCTURES IN ADDITIVE FABRICATION AND RELATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS

    公开(公告)号:US20190047222A1

    公开(公告)日:2019-02-14

    申请号:US16102912

    申请日:2018-08-14

    申请人: Formlabs, Inc.

    摘要: Techniques for designing and fabricating thermal supports via additive fabrication are described. In some additive fabrication techniques, sufficiently high temperature differentials may contribute to any of a diverse array of part defects and failure modes. Additional volumes, referred to as thermal supports, may be fabricated along with a desired object such that the thermal supports adjusted, in a desired manner, temperatures that would otherwise be experience within the fabrication material during fabrication. For instance, the presence of a thermal support structure may serve to reduce changes in temperature experienced by the material between one or more adjacent layers during fabrication. According to some embodiments, thermal supports may be generated to be fabricated with a part so as to not be in contact with the part. Such a thermal support may reduce a temperature differential without affecting the finish of the fabricated object.

    BUILDING MATERIAL ENCLOSURE COMPRISING A THERMAL BREAK

    公开(公告)号:US20240025117A1

    公开(公告)日:2024-01-25

    申请号:US18366631

    申请日:2023-08-07

    申请人: Formlabs, Inc.

    摘要: According to some aspects, degradation of material in a sintering additive fabrication process may be mitigated or avoided by fabricating parts within a chamber that includes one or more thermal breaks. The thermal break may be implemented using a variety of structures, but generally allows material in the chamber close to the surface to be maintained at different temperatures than the material further from the surface. For instance, as a result of the thermal break, parts located within the material of the chamber that were formed earlier during fabrication may be kept cooler to avoid damage to the parts yet the upper surface (sometimes called the “build surface”) of unconsolidated material may be heated enough so as to require minimal additional energy exposure to trigger consolidation.

    Building material enclosure comprising a thermal break

    公开(公告)号:US11745424B2

    公开(公告)日:2023-09-05

    申请号:US17022401

    申请日:2020-09-16

    申请人: Formlabs, Inc.

    摘要: According to some aspects, degradation of material in a sintering additive fabrication process may be mitigated or avoided by fabricating parts within a chamber that includes one or more thermal breaks. The thermal break may be implemented using a variety of structures, but generally allows material in the chamber close to the surface to be maintained at different temperatures than the material further from the surface. For instance, as a result of the thermal break, parts located within the material of the chamber that were formed earlier during fabrication may be kept cooler to avoid damage to the parts yet the upper surface (sometimes called the “build surface”) of unconsolidated material may be heated enough so as to require minimal additional energy exposure to trigger consolidation.