Desktop Metal, Inc.

Alexander C Barbati

Richard Remo Fontana

Michael Andrew Gibson

Nihan Tuncer

Brian Kernan

George Hudelson

Nicholas Mykulowycz

Jonah Samuel Myerberg

Ricardo Fulop

Aaron Preston

Christopher Benjamin Renner

Animesh Bose

Jay Tobia

Mats Moosberg

Karl-Heinz Schofalvi

John Reidy

Christopher Craven

John Laplante

Improved formulations of an interface material are described. These formulations may, in at least some cases, match and/or accommodate dimensional changes in the part and/or support structure throughout thermal processing (e.g., debind and sintering, or sintering only). Furthermore, these formulations may also maintain the property of resisting bonding between the interface and the part and/or support structure while also maintaining a physical separation between the part and support structure. In some cases, an improved interface material may accommodate strain associated with the shrinkage of a part (and optionally support structure) during sintering while also minimally impacting the ability of the part (and optionally support structure) to shrink or otherwise change in dimension. In some cases, the interface material may include one or more fugitive phases that are removed during thermal processing (e.g., through pyrolysis of the fugitive phase(s)).

Interface material formulations for additive fabrication

A method for binder jetting a three-dimensional (3D) object includes receiving a geometry of the object to be printed and generating instructions for printing the object. Generating the instructions includes slicing the geometry of the object into a series of cross-sectional shapes corresponding to where a binder fluid will be deposited onto a powder bed to form the object, and including a plurality of negatively printed features within at least some of the series of cross-sectional shapes, wherein an amount of binder fluid to be deposited in the negatively printed features is less than an amount of binder fluid to be deposited in a remainder of the cross-sectional shape. The amount of binder fluid to be deposited in the negatively printed features and a size of the negatively printed features is configured to allow gas to escape from the powder bed.

Methods and devices for three-dimensional printing

Techniques for debinding additively fabricated parts are described that do not require solvent debinding or catalytic debinding, and that may be performed using only thermal debinding in a furnace. As a result, in at least some cases debinding and sintering may take place sequentially within a single furnace. In some embodiments, the techniques may utilize particular materials as binders that allow for a thermal debinding process that does not negatively affect the parts.

Thermal debinding techniques for additive manufacturing and related systems and methods

Embodiments of the present disclosure are drawn to systems and methods for adjusting a three-dimensional (3D) model used in metal additive manufacturing to maintain dimensional accuracy and repeatability of a fabricated 3D part. These embodiments may be used to reduce or remove geometric distortions in the fabricated 3D part. One exemplary method may include: receiving, via one or more processors, a selection made by a user; receiving a 3D model of a desired part; retrieving at least one model constant based on the user's selection; receiving an input of at least one process variable setting from a set of process variable settings; generating transformation factors based on the at least one process variable parameter and the at least one model constant; transforming the 3D model of the desired part based on the transformation factors; and generating processing instructions for fabricating the transformed 3D model of the desired part.

Systems and methods for adjusting a three-dimensional (3D) model during additive manufacturing

Devices, systems, and methods are directed to binder jetting for forming three-dimensional parts having controlled, macroscopically inhomogeneous material composition. In general, a binder may be delivered to each layer of a plurality of layers of a powder of inorganic particles. An active component may be introduced, in a spatially controlled distribution, to at least one of the plurality of layers such that the binder, the powder of inorganic particles, and the active component, in combination, form an object. The object may be thermally processed into a three-dimensional part having a gradient of one or more physicochemical properties of a material at least partially formed from thermally processing the inorganic particles and the active component of the object.

Binder jetting in additive manufacturing of inhomogeneous three-dimensional parts

Systems and methods for forming an object using additive manufacturing. One method includes receiving a digital model of the object, predicting a shrinking characteristic or receiving a predicted shrinking characteristic of the object that will occur during thermal processing of the object, once formed, and generating, based on the shrinking characteristic of the object, instructions for forming a raft on which the object will be formed. The instructions for forming the raft are configured to form a raft having a shrinking characteristic that reflects the shrinking characteristic of the object.

Method for forming 3D printed objects with multi-layer rafts which optimize shrinkage

3D-printed parts may include binding agents to be removed following an additive manufacturing process. A debinding process removes the binding agents by immersing the part in a solvent bath causing chemical dissolution of the binding agents. The time of exposure of the 3D-printed part to the solvent is determined based on the geometry of the part, wherein the geometry is applied to predict the diffusion of the solvent through the 3D-printed part. The 3D-printed part is then immersed in the solvent bath to remove the binding agent, and is removed from the solvent bath after the time of exposure.

Debinding of 3D objects

This invention relates to three-dimensional printing. This invention in particularly relates to a method of fabricating a three-dimensional object using a support edifice and also using a mold material with structural additives. The support edifice is fabricated in the same crafting material as the final three-dimensional object in the same manner as the printing of the final three-dimensional object (mold and crafting in a layer by layer manner). This method enables the support edifice to also transform during post processing in the same manner as the final three-dimensional object, thus supporting the object until finished. The system for fabricating the object comprises a dual printhead comprising a first dispensing nozzle for depositing the filament material in a flowable fluid form and a second dispensing nozzle for depositing the crafting medium, which is in a paste form. The printhead can also include a heating system or a drying apparatus. The three-dimensional imaging process for making objects, preferably metal objects or ceramic objects, on a layer-by-layer basis under the control of a data processing system is disclosed. The printing of the three-dimensional object such as heavy objects or an object having different parts having a very thin gap or space. It is important to use different processing steps and/or material to print such three-dimensional objects. The present invention provides a solution by printing a support edifice comprising a special structural additive for the mold, and further the support edifice can be printed simultaneously while printing the mold and crafting-paste material on a layer-by-layer basis. The mold material is mixed with the structural additive. The structural additive is useful for prohibiting either fusing of the object with the support edifice, or in alternative embodiments, the fusing of one part of an object with another part of an object.

Support edifice for three-dimensional printing

An additive manufacturing apparatus, and corresponding method, determine a mass (or volume) output flow rate of extrudate used in three-dimensional (3D) printing, and such determination is insensitive to rheological properties of a material of the extrudate being printed. A thermal energy balance on a liquefying extrusion head enables a load on a heater, used to heat the extrusion head, to be related to the output flow rate of extrudate. Based on the thermal energy balance, the output flow rate may be determined based on a duty cycle of the heater. The output flow rate may be employed to affect the 3D printing to prevent over- or under-extrusion of the extrudate and to identify a fault condition.

Growing community of inventors

Cambridge, MA, United States of America

Alexander C Barbati