Xerox Corporation

Palo Alto Research Center Inc.

Vijay Kumar Baikampady Gopalkrishna

Raja Bala

David Allen Mantell

Peter M Gulvin

Palghat Srinivas Ramesh

Mark Anthony Cellura

Scott Kendyl Stanley

Andrew P Rapach

Chaman Singh Verma

A 3D printer includes a nozzle configured to jet a drop of liquid metal therethrough. The 3D printer also includes a light source configured to illuminate the drop with a pulse of light. A duration of the pulse of light is from about 0.0001 seconds to about 0.1 seconds. The 3D printer also includes a camera configured to capture an image, video, or both of the drop. The 3D printer also includes a computing system configured to detect the drop in the image, the video, or both. The computing system is also configured to characterize the drop after the drop is detected. Characterizing the drop includes determining a size of the drop, a location of the drop, or both in the image, the video, or both.

System and method for characterizing liquid metal drops jetted from a 3D printer using a strobe light

A method includes illuminating a drop with a pulse of light from a light source. A duration of the pulse of light is from about 0.0001 seconds to about 0.1 seconds. The method also includes capturing an image, video, or both of the drop. The method also includes detecting the drop in the image, the video, or both. The method also includes characterizing the drop after the drop is detected. Characterizing the drop includes determining a size of the drop, a location of the drop, or both in the image, the video, or both.

A method includes capturing a video of a plurality of drops being jetted through a nozzle of a printer. The method also includes measuring a signal proximate to the nozzle based at least partially upon the video. The method also includes determining one or more metrics that characterize a behavior of the drops based at least partially upon the signal.

Characterizing meniscus behavior in 3D liquid metal printing

A 3D printer includes a nozzle and a camera configured to capture an image, a video, or both of a plurality of drops of liquid metal being jetted through the nozzle. The 3D printer also includes a computing system configured to measure a signal proximate to the nozzle based at least partially upon the image, the video, or both. The computing system is also configured to determine one or more metrics that characterize a behavior of the drops based at least partially upon the signal.

One embodiment can provide a system for detecting occlusion at an orifice of a three-dimensional (3D) printer nozzle while the printer nozzle is jetting liquid droplets. During operation, the system uses one or more cameras to capture an image of the orifice of the printer nozzle while the 3D printer nozzle is jetting liquid droplets. The system performs an image-analysis operation on the captured image to identify occluded regions within the orifice of the 3D printer nozzle, compute an occlusion fraction based on the determined occluded regions, and generate an output based on the computed occlusion fraction, thereby facilitating effective maintenance of the 3D printer.

System and method for quantifying nozzle occlusion in 3D printing

A system is provided for generating a custom article to fit a target surface. During operation, the system compares an input dataset with a number of cut template cut meshes. A respective cut template cut mesh includes one or more cutting paths that correspond to a boundary of the mesh. Next, the system identifies a template cut mesh that produces a closest match with the input dataset, and applies global geometric transformations to the identified template cut mesh to warp the template cut mesh to conform to the input dataset. The system further refines and projects a set of boundary and landmark points from the template cut mesh to the input dataset to define cutting paths for the input dataset. Next, the system applies cutting paths to the input dataset to produce a cut-and-trimmed mesh.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Vijay Kumar Baikampady Gopalkrishna