Carbon, Inc.

Courtney F Converse

Jason P Rolland

W Ryan Powell

William R McCall

Matthew Panzer

Allison Light

Edwin James Sabathia, Jr

David Eliot Scheinman

Mateusz Marek Wojtaszek

Oshin Nazarian

Sherwood Forlee

Scott Heines

A method of making a three-dimensional object, including the steps of: (a) providing a carrier platform; (b) producing the three-dimensional object adhered to the carrier platform; (c) immersing the object in a wash liquid with the object remaining adhered to the carrier platform; (d) agitating the object in the wash liquid and/or the wash liquid with the object immersed therein to at least partially remove residual resin from the object; (e) separating the object from the wash liquid, with the object remaining adhered to the carrier platform; (f) agitating the object at least partially remove residual wash liquid; and (g) repeating steps (c) through (f) at least once to remove additional polymerizable resin, steps (c) through (f) are carried out in the same vessel, the immersing step (c) includes filling the vessel with the wash liquid, and the separating step (e) includes draining the wash liquid from the vessel.

Methods and apparatus for washing objects produced by stereolithography

A method of producing multiple batches of objects by stereolithography, includes the steps of: (a) dispensing an initial or subsequent batch of dual cure resin into a stereolithography apparatus, the resin including a light polymerizable component and a heat polymerizable component; (b) producing an intermediate object by light polymerization of the resin in the apparatus, wherein the intermediate object retains excess resin on a surface thereof; then (c) separating excess resin from the intermediate object; (d) blending the excess resin with additional dual cure resin to produce a subsequent batch of dual cure resin; (e) repeating steps (a) through (c), and optionally repeating step (d), to produce additional object(s); and (f) baking the objects, together or separately, to produce multiple batches of objects.

Systems and methods for resin recovery in additive manufacturing

A method of making a three-dimensional object by additive manufacturing from a blended resin including (i) at least one light polymerizable first component and, (ii) at least one, or a plurality of, second solidifiable components that are different from said first component, the method including: providing a first resin and a second resin, where the resins produce three-dimensional objects having different mechanical properties from one another when all are produced under the same process conditions; mixing the first and second resins with one another to produce the blended resin, the blended resin producing a three-dimensional object having mechanical properties intermediate between that of objects produced by the first and second resins when all are produced under the same process conditions; and dispensing the blended resin to the build region of an additive manufacturing apparatus; and then optionally but preferably producing a three-dimensional object from the blended resin in the apparatus.

Resin dispenser for additive manufacturing

Method of making a three-dimensional object, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a carrier platform on which the three-dimensional object can be formed; (b) producing the three-dimensional object, (c) immersing the object in a wash liquid with the object remaining adhered to the carrier platform; (d) agitating (i) the object in said wash liquid, (ii) the wash liquid with the object immersed therein, or (iii) both the object and the wash liquid, to at least partially remove residual resin from the surface of the object; (e) separating the object from the wash liquid, with the object remaining adhered to the carrier platform, (f) agitating the object to at least partially remove residual wash liquid from the surface thereof; and (g) repeating steps (c) through (f) to remove additional polymerizable resin from the surface thereof, wherein steps (c) through (f) are carried out in the same vessel.

A method of making a three-dimensional object by additive manufacturing from a blended resin (e.g., a blended dual cure resin), the blended resin including (i) at least one light polymerizable first component and, (ii) optionally but preferably, at least one, or a plurality of, second solidifiable components that are different from said first component, the method including one or more of the steps of: (a) providing a first resin and a second resin, where the resins produce three-dimensional objects having different mechanical properties from one another when all are produced under the same process conditions; (b) mixing the first and second resins with one another to produce the blended resin, the blended resin producing a three-dimensional object having mechanical properties intermediate between that of objects produced by the first and second resins when all are produced under the same process conditions; and (c) dispensing the blended resin to the build region of an additive manufacturing apparatus; and then (d) optionally but preferably producing a three-dimensional object from the blended resin in the apparatus.

A method of producing multiple batches of objects by stereolithography, includes the steps of: (a) dispensing an initial or subsequent batch of dual cure resin into a stereolithography apparatus (), the resin including a light polymerizable component and a heat polymerizable component; (b) producing an intermediate object by light polymerization of the resin in the apparatus (), wherein the intermediate object retains excess resin on a surface thereof; then (c) separating excess resin from the intermediate object (); (d) blending the excess resin with additional dual cure resin to produce a subsequent batch of dual cure resin (); (e) repeating steps (a) through (c), and optionally repeating step (d), to produce additional object(s); and (f) baking the objects, together or separately, to produce multiple batches of objects ().

A method of forming a three-dimensional object, which method includes a cleaning or washing step, is carried out by: (a) providing a carrier and a fill level, and optionally an optically transparent member having a build surface defining the fill level, the carrier and the fill level having a build region therebetween; (b) filling the build region with a polymerizable liquid, the polymerizable liquid comprising a mixture of (i) a light polymerizable liquid first component, and (ii) a second solidifiable component that is different from the first component; (c) irradiating the build region with light, to form a solid polymer scaffold from the first component and also advancing the carrier away from the build surface to form a three-dimensional intermediate having the same shape as, or a shape to be imparted to, the three-dimensional object and containing the second solidifiable component carried in the scaffold in unsolidified and/or uncured form; (d) washing the three-dimensional intermediate; and (e) concurrently with or subsequent to the irradiating step, and/or the washing step, solidifying and/or curing the second solidifiable component in the three-dimensional intermediate to form the three-dimensional object.

Growing community of inventors

Los Altos, CA, United States of America

Courtney F Converse