Process of fabricating three-dimensional objects from a light curable

Abstract

A process of fabricating a three-dimensional object from a light curable liquid resin by radiating a light to a surface of the liquid resin to form successive cross-sectional layers of the cured resin superimposed on each other. The process makes it possible to rapidly form on a platform or on a previously cured layer a fresh stratum of a desired thickness to be subsequently cured into the corresponding layer. The process utilizes a vessel containing a volume of the liquid resin and a platform carrying the layers, and comprises the steps of a) forming the stratum of the liquid resin on an overlay surface of the platform or previously cured layer outside of the liquid resin in the vessel; b) immersing the resulting stratum into the liquid resin in the vessel to place a top surface of the stratum approximately in level with a liquid level of the vessel, thereby surrounding a periphery of the stratum by the liquid resin in the vessel; c) allowing a portion of the liquid resin surrounding the stratum to flow toward the periphery of the stratum such that the stratum has a continuous flush top surface over substantially the entire of the overlay surface; and d) radiating the light to the stratum so as to cure it into the cross sectional cured layer. At the step c), only a minimum amount of the resin is caused to flow into the stratum from the surrounding resin and therefore expedite to the formation of the stratum into a straight configuration.