Makerbot Industries, LLC

Adam G Mayer

Nathaniel B Pettis

Anthony James Buser

Charles E Pax

Zach Smith

An article of manufacture formed by a three-dimensional printing process that uses multiple build materials with different optical properties (e.g., color, opacity, and the like) at different surface depths to achieve grayscale-rendered images on exterior surfaces thereof.

Grayscale rendering in 3D printing

An additive three-dimensional fabrication process is improved by controlling deposition rate to obtain surface textures or other surface features below the nominal processing resolution of fabrication hardware. Sub-resolution information may be obtained, for example, from express metadata (such as for surface texture), or by interpolating data from a source digital model.

Three-dimensional surface texturing

An additive three-dimensional fabrication process uses multiple build materials with different optical properties (e.g., color, opacity) at different surface depths to achieve grayscale-rendered images on exterior surfaces thereof.

A conveyor or other transport mechanism is provided to support multiple, sequential builds from a three-dimensional fabrication machine. The conveyor may be heated/cooled, coated, or otherwise treated to assist in adhesion during a build, as well as removal of objects after a build. Each fabricated object may be automatically removed from the conveyor as the conveyor moves in order to restore a buildable surface for fabrication of additional objects.

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Brooklyn, NY, United States of America

Adam G Mayer