Desktop Metal, Inc.

George Hudelson

Emanuel Michael Sachs

Paul A Hoisington

Keith Roy Vaillancourt

Christopher Benjamin Renner

Edward Russell Moynihan

Jonah Samuel Myerberg

Michael Andrew Gibson

Ricardo Fulop

Jamison Go

Alexander C Barbati

Justin Cumming

Robert Michael Shydo, Jr

Nicholas Mykulowycz

Nihan Tuncer

Brian Kernan

Glenn A Jordan

Midnight Zero

Charles Edward Martin

Alexander Nicholas LeGendre

Anastasios John Hart

Richard Remo Fontana

Daniel David Sachs

Michael Goldblatt

Michael Daniel Santorella

Alexander K McCalmont

Matthew McCambridge

Alexander Legendre

Brett Schuster

Kelvin Wiebe

Joseph Johnson

Jake Dec

Andrew E Kuklinski

Eric Wong

Steven Garrant

Cassia Lockwood

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

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

An additive manufacturing method includes depositing a first amount of metal powder onto a powder bed of a printing system, spreading the first amount of metal powder across the powder bed to form a first layer, and depositing a first amount of binder material on the first layer. The additive manufacturing method also includes exposing the first layer to a first lighting condition, imaging the first layer under the first lighting condition to generate a first image, analyzing the first image of the first layer, and determining whether to adjust at least one printing parameter based on the analyzing.

System and methods for printing defect detection

A system and corresponding method for additive manufacturing of a three-dimensional (3D) object to improve packing density of a powder bed used in the manufacturing process. The system and corresponding method enable higher density packing of the powder. Such higher density packing leads to better mechanical interlocking of particles, leading to lower sintering temperatures and reduced deformation of the 3D object during sintering. An embodiment of the system comprises means for adjusting a volume of a powder metered onto a top surface of the powder bed to produce an adjusted metered volume and means for spreading the adjusted metered volume to produce a smooth volume for forming a smooth layer of the powder with controlled packing density across the top surface of the powder bed. The controlled packing density enables uniform shrinkage, without warping, of the 3D object during sintering to produce higher quality 3D printed objects.

System and method for controlling powder bed density for 3D printing

Devices, systems, and methods are directed to the use of vapor phase change in binder jetting processes for forming three-dimensional objects. In general, a vapor of a first fluid may be directed to a layer of a powder spread across a build volume. The vapor may condense to reduce mobility of the particles of the powder of the layer. For example, the condensing vapor may reduce the likelihood of particle ejection from the layer and, thus, may reduce the likelihood of clogging or otherwise degrading a printhead used to jet a second fluid (e.g., a binder) to the layer. Further, or instead, the condensing vapor may increase the density of the powder in the layer which, when repeated over a plurality of layers forming a three-dimensional object, may reduce the likelihood of slumping of the part during sintering.

Managing powder mobility in binder jetting for additive manufacturing

A method is provided for printing a three-dimensional object. The method comprises, depositing a layer of metal powder onto a powder bed of a three-dimensional printer. A liquid is heated to generate a vapor. The liquid is removed from the vapor to dry the vapor by heating the vapor above a condensation temperature of the liquid. The dry vapor is deposited onto the powder bed of the three-dimensional printer.

Methods and systems for condensing a vapor on a powder bed

The devices, systems, and methods of the present disclosure are directed to powder spreading and binder distribution techniques for consistent and rapid layer-by-layer fabrication of three-dimensional objects formed through binder jetting. For example, a powder may be spread to form a layer along a volume defined by a powder box, a binder may be deposited along the layer to form a layer of a three-dimensional object, and the direction of spreading the layer and depositing the binder may be in a first direction and in a second direction, different from the first direction, thus facilitating rapid formation of the three-dimensional object with each passage of the print carriage over the volume. Powder delivery, powder spreading, thermal energy delivery, and combinations thereof, may facilitate consistently achieving quality standards as the rate of fabrication of the three-dimensional object is increased.

Multi-directional binder jetting additive manufacturing

An additive manufacturing system, and corresponding method, prints a sacrificial component using a 3D printing system that includes a spreading mechanism for spreading unbound powder to form layers of a powder bed and a printing mechanism for jetting binder fluid into the unbound powder to form the sacrificial component. The system forms the sacrificial component with a feature that provides a resistive force to a shear force imposed by the spreading mechanism during the spreading. The system prints a part with the 3D printing system in a coupled arrangement with the sacrificial component. The coupled arrangement in combination with the resistive force is sufficient to immobilize each printed layer of the part to resist the shear force imposed by the spreading mechanism during spreading of the unbound powder above each printed layer of the part. After printing, and before or after post-processing, the part and sacrificial component are separated.

Method for reducing layer shifting and smearing during 3D printing

A build box associated with a powder bed fabrication system may comprise a housing defining a housing cavity, and a powder print bed disposed within the housing cavity. The powder print bed may be characterized by state information. The build box may further comprise a medium configured to facilitate access to the state information, and a coupling interface for removably engaging the build box with at least one subsystem of the powder bed fabrication system. The state information may comprise one or more state information elements of object identification, object location, current processing state, next subsystem processing step, previous subsystem processing step, object model information, object material composition, and current powder print bed temperature profile. The medium may comprise a memory device coupled with a transceiver. The medium may alternatively comprise an RFID device, or an optically perceivable designator, such as a bar code or QR code.

Smart cart for three dimensional binder jet printers

A system for separating objects within a stacked powder print bed of nested objects comprises a build box configured to contain the powder print bed. The build box has a build box top and a build box floor. The system further includes an elongated aperture formed in a side wall of the build box, and a de-powdering subsystem configured to mechanically and electrically engage the build box. A separating blade associated with the de-powdering subsystem is configured to be inserted through the elongated aperture and into the powder print bed between a top-most print bed layer of the nested objects and a second print bed layer directly below and contiguous with the top-most layer, thereby forming an isolated powder print bed between the separating blade and the build box top. The unbound powder may be agitated by various techniques and subsequently removed from the objects.

Automated de-powdering with level based nesting

Growing community of inventors

Billerica, MA, United States of America

George Hudelson