US 12,260,420 B2
Three dimensional printing system with speed optimized vector processing system
Sam Coeck, Boutersem (BE); Jonas Van Vaerenbergh, Sint-Niklaas (BE); and Nachiketa Ray, Leuven (BE)
Assigned to LAYERWISE NV, Leuven (BE)
Filed by LAYERWISE NV, Leuven (BE)
Filed on Jun. 9, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/836,090.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/215,155, filed on Sep. 7, 2015.
Prior Publication US 2022/0314553 A1, Oct. 6, 2022
Int. Cl. B29C 64/393 (2017.01); B29C 64/245 (2017.01); B29C 64/268 (2017.01); G06Q 30/0201 (2023.01); G06Q 30/0203 (2023.01); B33Y 10/00 (2015.01); B33Y 30/00 (2015.01); B33Y 50/02 (2015.01)
CPC G06Q 30/0201 (2013.01) [B29C 64/245 (2017.08); B29C 64/268 (2017.08); B29C 64/393 (2017.08); G06Q 30/0203 (2013.01); B33Y 10/00 (2014.12); B33Y 30/00 (2014.12); B33Y 50/02 (2014.12)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A three-dimensional (3D) printing system comprising:
a print engine including:
a motorized build platform;
a coating apparatus for forming a uniform layer of build material over the build platform; and
a beam forming unit configured to scan an energy beam over a build plane that is above the build platform; and
a controller configured to perform the following steps:
(a) receiving a virtual 3D body;
(b) processing the 3D body to define a plurality of N slices, the N slices individually representing intersections of the 3D body with the slice;
(c) processing the N slices to represent solid portions of the 3D body with vectors, the vectors defining contours and hatching patterns, the vectors individually are bounded by two endpoints;
(d) for the individual slices, computing an actual scan speed (v) for one or more of the vectors, the vectors individually defined between two endpoints;
(e) for the individual slices, defining a scan speed error by computing a difference between the actual scan speed (v) and a default scan speed (V);
(f) for the individual slices, if the scan speed error is larger than a predetermined threshold, then moving one of the two endpoints to a new location to reduce the scan speed error so as to provide a plurality of speed corrected slices;
(g) operating the print engine to fabricate a three-dimensional article in a layer-by-layer manner using the plurality of speed corrected slices.