Other

Planmeca Oy

Tero Rakkolainen

Juha Koivisto

Jukka Kanerva

Samppa Dravantti

Tuomas Myllylä

Ville Vuorio

Jari Koponen

A stereolithography apparatus () has an exposure arrangement (), comprising a radiative element (); a masking element (), having a substantially rectangular masking area (); an optical path () between the radiative element () and the masking area (), having a linear segment (); and an intensity-unifying arrangement (), having a first, a second, a third, and a fourth reflective surface () The first and second reflective surfaces (,) are arranged on opposite sides of the linear segment (), and the third and fourth reflective surfaces () are arranged on opposite sides of the linear segment (). In a cross section of the intensity-unifying arrangement () along any plane, perpendicularly intersecting the linear segment (), the reflective surfaces () follow a boundary () of a rectangle.

Stereolithography apparatus

A stereolitography apparatus comprises a fixed vat () or a holder for receiving a removable vat for holding resin during stereolithographic 3D printing, and a radiation source () for generating radiation capable of polymerizing portions of said resin in said vat. (). The apparatus comprises a shutter () between said radiation source () and said vat () for allowing only selected portions of the generated radiation to reach said resin, and a cooling channel () between said radiation source () and said shutter (). The apparatus comprises a blower () configured to force coolant gas through said cooling channel ().

Stereolithography apparatus equipped with shutter cooling channel

A stereolithography apparatus comprises a fixed, vat () or a holder for receiving a removable vat for holding resin for use in a stereolithographic 3D printing process, a build platform (), a moving mechanism () configured to move said build platform in a working movement range be-tween a first extreme position proximal to said vat () and a second extreme position distant from said vat (), a working region between said vat () and said second extreme position of said build platform (), an optical imaging detector () having a field of view, installed and directed so that at least a part of said working region is within said field of view when said optical imaging detector is in an operating position and a controller () coupled to said optical imaging detector () for receiving optical image data from said optical imaging detector (). Said controller () is configured to use said optical image data in controlling operation of the stereolithography apparatus.

Stereolithography apparatus with optical imaging detector, and method of operating the same

Growing community of inventors

Helsinki, Finland

Tero Rakkolainen